


Harry Potter's Bloody Hogwarts

by MarjorieAyameKuran



Series: Harry Potter's Bloody Hogwarts [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Vampire Knight
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Blood Drinking, Blood Loss, Book 5: Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, Detention, F/M, Forgiveness, Gray Harry Potter, Horcrux Hunting, Magic, Master of Death Harry Potter, Mates, Mating Bond, Necromancer Harry Potter, Pregnancy, Rating: M, Rituals, Souled Vampire(s), Unplanned Pregnancy, Vampire Harry, Vampire James, Vampire Lily, Vampire Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-05
Updated: 2016-04-02
Packaged: 2018-05-11 21:22:14
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 38,438
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5642428
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarjorieAyameKuran/pseuds/MarjorieAyameKuran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Harry is in his fifth year at Hogwarts.  Were Harry's parents really human or were they something else?  What if they were actually pureblooded vampires?  Why did headmaster Dumbledore let vampires study at the school? What will happen to Harry this year?  Will he find love and happiness along with a new family or will he find himself in a worst fate? This story was first posted at ff.net.  I wish you like it.  Please R&R!</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Before Starting School

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Exchange Students](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/166831) by yinngoh. 



> A/N: This story will be based in Harry’s 5th year. Story first posted at FF.NET.
> 
> DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT IN ANY CIRCUMSTANCE OWN HARRY POTTER NOR VAMPIRE KNIGHT! THEY BOTH BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE AUTHORS J. K. ROWLING AND MATSURI HINO-SENSEI! I JUST LIKE PLAYING WITH THEIR WORK. I DO NOT TAKE PROFIT OUT OF THIS, JUST A GOOD TIME AND A WAY TO SCAPE THE LIVING HELL THAT IS MY PARENTS HOUSE WITH WRITING!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry learns his true heritage as a pureblood vampire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter. Please R&R.

Format:

“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ ** _Normal_** ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE

**Chapter 1: Before starting School**

Harry was just now attacked by dementors and was walking the street carrying Dudley while Mrs. Figg was tottering along in front of them not wanting anything to happen again. They walked from Little Whinging , then they entered Wisteria Walk and finally Privet Drive. Once they’ve reached Harry’s uncles house Mrs. Figg told him to go inside and not to come out until someone came for him. Harry did as he was told and dragged Dudley along with him. Petunia Dursley was sitting in the couch with a fan on her hands. Once Harry entered with Dudley, Petunia began to shout at poor Harry. Uncle Vernon was at the kitchen and heard the ruckus, running all the way to the living room. Uncle Vernon was furious at what he saw. Dudley was in a sofa looking like a total loon holding a bucket in his arms while Petunia was trying to comfort her son. Petunia was talking to Dudley but the said boy didn’t pay too much attention only answering with the word “him”. Dudley knew that if he said that it was Harry’s fault the said boy would get in trouble; and probably a biting from Vernon from outrage. After the little intercourse between Harry and Uncle Vernon shouting at him an owl came flying to where they were and dropped a letter in front of Harry. The boy began to read the letter while Vernon began shouting again about not wanting any more owls in HIS house. There was shock in the boy’s face as he read the piece of paper. After that Uncle Vernon shot him in his room locking him in it. Then the man went to his family and took them to the hospital.  
To say that Harry was enraged was an understatement, he was damn right angry at what happened. After so much trouble he went to sleep only to have the most peculiar dream.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **Dream** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

  
_He was walking in the most beautiful forest ever seen. The forest was a beautiful shade of green with tall trees of different kinds. There were also many kind of flowers in its surroundings with different forms and colors. The boy was mesmerized by the beautiful view. Harry felt breathless for a moment as he took everything in._ _After a few minutes of walking through the forest he began to feel something different. There was something different that he couldn’t put a finger in. In a second he was standing in front of a mansion that looked more like a castle of some sort. In that very moment a woman with red hair and green eyes that resembled his mother very much strode out of the building. Harry stared at the woman for a few seconds; the said woman locked eyes with Harry as well and giving him the most dazzling smile that he knew was his mother’s right away._

  
_In a second the woman was in front of him and giving the boy the most wonderful hug and kissing his forehead repeatedly. Harry wrapped his arms around his mother’s waist and buried his face in her chest. At that moment he felt for the first time happiness and began to sob._

  
_“Harry,” his mother said in the sweetest of voices. “My beautiful baby boy.”_

  
_“Mom,” Harry said still sobbing. She smiled at him and kissed his tear stained cheek._

  
_“Harry, my boy” Lilly began. “If you’re hear now means that the spell that I placed in you has lifted. I’m afraid that no-body has been truthful to you since the beginning. Your father and I even though we died trying to protect you…We haven’t been truthful to anyone. We were both pure-blooded vampires from different families. My true family name is Kuran not Evans. The Evans took me in when my parents died trying to protect me and my little twin sister Yuuki from a bad guy. Your father was a descendent of the Potter pure-blood family. Both of our families had magical blood in them so to speak. Once I was turn into a human by my mother, my magical blood awakened, making me a witch instead.”_

  
_Harry’s head was spinning with all the information that he was receiving at the moment. He looked at his mother in confusion while trying to process all of the information. “Mom,” Harry began. “If what your telling me is true then what is Petunia to you?”_

  
_Lilly thought for a few seconds before replying, “well, Petunia is the first born of the Evans family who adopted me. No-one of the family talked about it though. Petunia thought that I was born from the Evans but somewhere inside her head knew that I wasn’t really related to her calling me a freak of nature.” Lilly stopped at that moment recalling the past event. A tear fell from her beautiful green eyes at the memory. “I’m really sorry for everything you’re going through right now, Harry.”_

  
_“It’s OK, mom,” Harry replied. “It’s not your fault.”_

  
_“But I could have prevented it after finding out about the prophesy!” she exclaimed._

  
_Harry frowned at the exclamation. “What prophesy?” he asked._

  
_This time it was Lilly’s turn to frown. “You don’t know about the prophesy?”_

  
_“No,” he stated shaking his head a little in denial._

  
_“It’s a prophesy that Trelawney created while in an interview with Dumbledore,” his mother said. “It said something like this: ‘THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD APPROACHES. . . . BORN TO THOSE WHO HAVE THRICE DEFIED HIM, BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES . . . AND THE DARK LORD WILL MARK HIM AS HIS EQUAL, BUT HE WILL HAVE POWER THE DARK LORD KNOWS NOT . . . AND EITHER MUST DIE AT THE HAND OF THE OTHER FOR NEITHER CAN LIVE WHILE THE OTHER SURVIVES. . . . THE ONE WITH THE POWER TO VANQUISH THE DARK LORD WILL BE BORN AS THE SEVENTH MONTH DIES. . . .’ I thought that nothing would occur, that your father and I would live that ordeal and stay with you forever, but I was wrong.”_

_Lilly was crying by this point recalling that time when Voldemort came into the house and killed them. “I’m so sorry, Harry.”_

_Harry wrapped his hands more tightly around Lilly’s waist and buried his face once again in her chest feeling his own tears running down his face and staining her beautiful dress. “I missed you, mom,” he said while he cried. “I love you so much.”_  
_“I love you too, sweetheart,” Lilly said wrapping her arms around Harry’s neck and head and kissing his forehead. “Oh, and …” she stopped midsentence._

“What’s wrong, mom?” her son asked.

“I missed you too, my beautiful baby,” she said. Harry blushed at that statement.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ **End of Dream** ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Harry felt a noise outside of his bedroom and went to take his wand that was in his bedside table. A few moments later there were 8 to 9 figures standing in front of his chambers with the ex-auror Mad-eye Moody in the helm.

“Put that wand away, boy,” Mad-eye said. “Were going to take you away now. Start packing your things.”

Harry immediately started to pack his things and freed his owl Hedwig from her cage. He went downstairs to were the others are waiting. Then they all went outside and mounted their brooms. The journey was long to London but Harry didn’t mind since he love to fly in his broom. Mad-eye was the first to stop his broom in a park and everyone just followed suit. After a few minutes of walking to the park exit, they were right in front of a complexion of buildings. Harry noted that there was a number off. There was Grimmauld Place #11 and #13 but #12 was no-where to be found. That is until he felt the ground shaking and #12 appear out of thin air in front of him. He followed the others inside the structure.

Once he was inside Mrs. Weasley came roaching from where she had been and embraced the boy in her arms. She was so happy to see that the-boy-who-lived was fine and well at the moment even though he was skinnier than normal.

“Oh, Harry it’s lovely to see you!” said Mrs. Weasley happily. “Dinner shall be ready in a few, please go to the rooms upstairs with the others. We are still discussing some things.”

Harry went upstairs like he was instructed by Mrs. Weasley and found his friends talking in one of the rooms. Once Hermione saw him she rapidly went rushing and hugged him tightly. In that moment she began to bombard him with questions without even letting him answer, not even one of said questions. His head felt like it was going to explode from all the questions. Later after that Hermione and Ron began to answer his questions about neither of them responding to his letters. They both answered that they weren’t allowed to say too much in parchment because Dumbledore forbid it. Harry felt anger at the new piece of information.

A few minutes later Mr. and Mrs. Weasley came to the room to announce that dinner was ready and they could go eat now. Harry was gone in a second going downstairs. There Sirius was sat at the table talking with Lupin. Sirius stood up and went to hug his godson. Lupin did the same after Sirius had finish his greeting. They all took a sit. The food had appear in the table at that moment. The boy took some food and put it in his plate. He began to eat. After eating he took the glass of water and began to drink. Without Harry realizing it he began to feel more thirsty than ever before.

The ravenet hair boy excused himself and went to the kitchen and pulled out another glass of water, gulping every single drop of water in an instant. Unfortunate for him the thirst didn’t go away but only increased. He had already drank 5 full glasses of water and the thirst stayed. He decided to go back to his shared room with Ron and sleep a little.

Unfortunately that night he didn’t have nice dreams like before living Vernon’s house. The nightmares were getting awful every second and the thirst didn’t help at all. The thing was that the next day he had a hiring at the Ministry about his illegal use of magic in front of his own cousin.

The next day was worse than a nightmare and the thirst was starting to hurt more than before. That morning when he went to the bathroom to prepare himself for the Ministry he discovered that his human fangs were gone and instead were to sharp pointed fangs. He remembered what his mother had said about her and his father been pure-blood vampires. If what was happening was true then the thirst he was feeling was not going to get any better with water and only by drinking blood would he feel better. The problem was that he didn’t wanted to hurt his friends or family just to get what he needed.

The hiring was another thing. Once he arrived at the Ministry with Mr. Weasley, they were informed by Shacklebolt that the hour had been moved up to start in five minutes. The Minister was a total jerk by all means. Dumbledore had arrived a few minutes before the meeting and had successfully help Harry stay clear of all charges only to spring out of the boy after the meeting was over without even saying a word to him. That only made the poor kid more riled up.

After that he came back to his godfather’s home even more tired that he has ever been in his entire life. Time went by fast and it was already time to depart to Hogwarts without knowing that this year was going to be even more interesting and deadlier than any other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review! I need to know what you think about the story.


	2. In the Train and Back Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and the others ride in the train to start Hogwarts. The sorting begins.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This story doesn't have a beta and even though I know an advance level in English but it's not my mother language and make some mistakes. Be assured that I'll return later and manage those mistakes. I'm not perfect after all. I hope you like this story. Please Review!

Format:

“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ _ **Normal**_ " FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ " FLASHBACK/HAT'S SONG  
‘ _Normal_ ' THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE  


**Chapter 2: In the train and back again**

  
Harry was walking with the Order and his friends back to King’s Cross. In that moment Sirius passed in front of him in his dog form and went inside a room near the platforms. After Harry went inside Sirius turned once again into a human. Moody kept watch outside so that nobody went inside and find Sirius. The man sat at one of the benches and signal Harry to sit beside him. The boy did as his godfather instructed him to do silently.

  
“Padfoot, what do you think you’re thinking doing this stunt?” Harry stated. “Someone might have seen you and reported you back to Azkaban!”

  
“I know and I’m sorry” said Sirius. “But what’s life without a little danger?”

  
Harry glared a little at his godfather before replying: “You know what I meant.” Harry sigh for a moment. “It’s just I don’t want to lose you too.”

  
Sirius looked at his godson for a moment before taking a picture from his pocket. Harry took the picture in his hands. Sirius said that that picture was from the first Order of the Phoenix. He began to explain who was in the picture and what had happened to them. At the end Sirius told Harry to keep the photo as a reminder. The boy accepted it with a smile without showing his pointy fangs. Sirius change back into a dog and exited the room with his godson beside him.

  
They went through the platform 9 ¾ and waited for the train to leave. Harry went inside and waited for his friends to enter the train. The three teens found an empty compartment at the end. After a few minutes the train started moving. As they traveled Malfoy entered the compartment and began harassing him about him been a prefect. Harry on the other hand was so fed up with ‘stupid’ Malfoy that he kicked him out and slammed the door right in front of the other boy’s stunned face.

“That was bloody brilliant, Harry,” Ron said after he recovered from the shock grinning at his friend like an idiot.

  
Harry just stared out the window without saying a word. There was something in the train, a presence, which was making his hair on end. The odd thing was that said presence felt quite familiar somehow. Ron and Hermione were now walking out the door of their compartment to go to the prefects meeting. The raven hair boy took the opportunity to walk the corridor to see where that presence was coming from. As he walked he felt the mysterious presence in the last four compartments. Harry went back into his shared compartment to wait for his friends.

**\------------------------------------    Kaname’s POV      -----------------------------------**

  
I’ve been feeling this weird feeling for a while now. The feeling of another pure-blood vampire such as myself, Ayame and Yuuki on this train. The problem was that only a select few of Cross Academy night class students has come and only Yuuki, Ayame and I are pure-bloods. This is going to be interesting, I thought. I looked at the window and sighed. From my speculations of where the sun was it was almost 3:30 pm. The night class has been in the station since 4 in the morning. There was almost 2 and a half hours left to the arrival of the train in Hogsmead. I sighed again and began reading my book once again.

  
**\-----------------------------------       Author POV     --------------------------------------**

  
Ron and Hermione have return after an hour and Harry have been feeling restless. The thought of having a bad feeling was still there. The raven hair teen talked to his friends for the rest of the ride of the bad feeling he was having. The other two teens paid no mind of it for the moment. Slowly they felt the train come to a halt in the Hogsmead station. All of the students came out of the train. The first years and a group of strangers that Harry noted were the once in the very last compartments stayed to be carried by the boats to Hogwarts. The older students departed to take their ride back to the castle.

  
Harry at first thought that he was going crazy when he walked to the carriage and saw the horse that looked like a skeleton. The teen question his friends only for them to reply: “what are you talking about? There’s nothing that’s pulling the carriage. It’s always been this way.” Harry took the seat that was in front of a girl that had straggly, waist length, dirty-blond hair, very pale eyebrows, and protuberant eyes that gave her a permanently surprised look. In the carriage also sat Neville and Ginny.

  
Neville after seen the girl introduced her as Loony Lovegood. Ginny on the other hand said her name was Luna and scolded Neville for been rude to the girl. The girl called Luna watched them over her upside-down magazine, which was called The Quibbler. Finally the carriage began to move by the ‘invisible’ carriage carrier. After a few minutes the older students were walking through the entrance gate and inside the castle. Everyone went directly to the dining room where they sited into their house table. In a few minutes after they were all sited Professor McGonagall came with the first years behind her back. She then went and brought the chair and sorting hat putting the hat in the chair.  
The hat took the form of a face and began to sing:

 

 

 

>   
>  _"In times of old when I was new_  
>  _And Hogwarts barely started_  
>  _The founders of our noble school_  
>  _Thought never to be parted:_
> 
>   
>  _United by a common goal,_  
>  _They had the selfsame yearning,_  
>  _To make the world’s best magic school_  
>  _And pass along their learning._
> 
>   
>  _“Together we will build and teach!”_  
>  _The four good friends decided_  
>  _And never did they dream that they_  
>  _Might someday be divided,_
> 
>   
>  _For were there such friends anywhere_  
>  _As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_  
>  _Unless it was the second pair_  
>  _Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_
> 
>   
>  _So how could it have gone so wrong?_  
>  _How could such friendships fail?_  
>  _Why, I was there and so can tell_  
>  _The whole sad, sorry tale._
> 
>   
>  _Said Slytherin, “We’ll teach just those_  
>  _Whose ancestry is purest.”_  
>  _Said Ravenclaw, “We’ll teach those whose_  
>  _Intelligence is surest.”_
> 
>   
>  _Said Gryffindor, “We’ll teach all those_  
>  _With brave deeds to their name,”_  
>  _Said Hufflepuff, “I’ll teach the lot,_  
>  _And treat them just the same.”_
> 
>   
>  _These differences caused little strife_  
>  _When first they came to light,_  
>  _For each of the four founders had_  
>  _A House in which they might_
> 
>   
>  _Take only those they wanted, so,_  
>  _For instance, Slytherin_  
>  _Took only pure-blood wizards_  
>  _Of great cunning, just like him,_
> 
>   
>  _And only those of sharpest mind_  
>  _Were taught by Ravenclaw_  
>  _While the bravest and the boldest_  
>  _Went to daring Gryffindor._
> 
>   
>  _Good Hufflepuff she took the rest,_  
>  _And taught them all she knew,_  
>  _Thus the Houses and their founders_  
>  _Retained friendships firm and true._
> 
>   
>  _So Hogwarts worked in harmony_  
>  _For several happy years,_  
>  _But then discord crept among us_  
>  _Feeding on our faults and fears._
> 
>   
>  _The Houses that, like pillars four,_  
>  _Had once held up our school,_  
>  _Now turned upon each other and,_  
>  _Divided, sought to rule._
> 
>   
>  _And for a while it seemed the school_  
>  _Must meet an early end,_  
>  _What with dueling and with fighting_  
>  _And the clash of friend on friend_
> 
>   
>  _And at last there came a morning_  
>  _When old Slytherin departed_  
>  _And though the fighting then died out_  
>  _He left us quite downhearted._
> 
>   
>  _And never since the founders four_  
>  _Were whittled down to three_  
>  _Have the Houses been united_  
>  _As they once were meant to be._
> 
>   
>  _And now the Sorting Hat is here_  
>  _And you all know the score:_  
>  _I sort you into Houses_  
>  _Because that is what I’m for,_
> 
>   
>  _But this year I’ll go further,_  
>  _Listen closely to my song:_  
>  _Though condemned I am to split you_  
>  _Still I worry that it’s wrong,_
> 
>   
>  _Though I must fulfill my duty_  
>  _And must quarter every year_  
>  _Still I wonder whether sorting_  
>  _May not bring the end I fear._
> 
>   
>  _Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_  
>  _The warning history shows,_  
>  _For our Hogwarts is in danger_  
>  _From external, deadly foes_
> 
>   
>  _And we must unite inside her_  
>  _Or we’ll crumble from within._  
>  _I have told you, I have warned you. . . ._  
>  _Let the Sorting now begin."_

  
After the last first year was sorted into the house of Hufflepuff McGonagall was going back outside. In that moment Professor Dumbledore started to talk to the students about how this year was going to be a lot more different. Dumbledore explained that there were exchange students of Cross Academy coming and that this students were from the night class division of the school that consisted of vampires. Harry was thrilled and frightened at the same time about this piece of information. Thrilled because he could learn from them and frightened because he didn’t know how everyone else would react of the-boy-who-lived been all buddy-buddy with the vampires. Hermione was exited to say the least about having vampires in the school been the book worm that she is. Ron on the other hand was sweating like crazy at the thought of those vampires been in the school and drinking their blood.

  
At the Headmaster’s approval McGonagall came back with 11 very beautiful, pale students. From among the mass of people there were five girls and the rest were boys. Their formation was a male and two females in the front and the rest behind. The first three looked very much the same reddish brown eyes and brown hair. The girls obviously had their hair long to their waist while the boy was right at his shoulders in a boyish style. Their aura however screamed of deadly power. The others that consisted mostly of boys had auras similar to the first three but didn’t have a lot of power.

  
As they stepped in front of Professor McGonagall and waited for her to start, the boy with brown hair and reddish brown eyes came closer to Professor Dumbledore and stretched his hands in salutation. The headmaster shuck their hands together and smiled at the vampire. In the meanwhile Professor McGonagall had started the sorting.

  
“Aidou, Hanabusa,” she called. A second later a tall boy with blond hair and blue eyes strode to the chair and sited in it. The woman Professor placed the sorting hat in his head and a second later the hat shouted: “Ravenclaw!” The boy smiled his dazzling smile and went to the Ravenclaw table.

  
“Cross, Yuuki,” Professor McGonagall called again. A mili-second later a petite girl with long brown hair and reddish brown eyes surfaced and sited gracefully in the chair. The professor once again put the sorting hat in the girls head and it shouted: “Slytherin!” The girl made her way over to the Slytherin table just to be shoo at with fear written in their faces. Even Malfoy was about to poop himself from fear.

  
The sorting went on with Ichijou, Takuma another tall blond with green eyes who was placed in Ravenclaw as well. Then Kain, Akatsuki a tall boy with strawberry blond hair and amber eyes was places in Ravenclaw as well. This time was another tall boy with silver hair with piercings in his left ear and lavender eyes by the name of Kiryuu, Zero was sorted into Gryffindor. Something told Harry that the said boy was different from the rest because of his aura. Later on the other girl with long brown hair and reddish brown eyes was called by the name of Kuran, Ayame and was placed in Gryffindor as well. The girl was tall unlike the other girl and had just like him trouble with her sorting.

  
“Kuran, Kaname,” Professor McGonagall shouted. The boy standing beside Professor Dumbledore excused himself and went to sit in the chair very gracefully. The sorting hat did not even touched his head before it shouted “Slytherin!” Just as gracefully as he had walked into the chair he went and sited himself beside his beloved.

  
Then there was a girl named Seiren with short grayish-white hair who was sorted into Gryffindor, later a brownish hair tall boy called Shiki, Senri with icy blue eyes was sorted into Hufflepuff followed by a tall girl with pale brown hair and similar eye color with the name of Souen, Ruka and another tall girl with model figure, orange blond hair that were tied in pigtails and icy cerulean eyes who were also sorted into Hufflepuff.

  
After every one of the new exchange students was sited into their house table Dumbledore sited with the staff and made the food appear. The new and exchange students were fascinated by it. All of the older students just tuck in. Harry was trying to refrain himself from giving in to his thirst. Somehow he could not stop thinking of the silver hair boy and the girl with reddish brown eyes that was sitting next to him. They just took a pill and threw it into a glass of water and an instant later the water turned into something that looked like blood. Harry’s mouth watered seen the red liquid but he decided to just tuck in like the rest of the populace.

  
A few minutes later Dumbledore walked to the podium again and bead welcome to the first years and exchange program students. Then he mention about the forbidden forest and the list of prohibited things in Filch’s office. Continuing with the new staff members Dumbledore bid them welcome as well and said that Mrs. Grubbly-Plank was going to take her post as Care of Magical Creatures again for the time been until Hagrid came back. At last he introduced the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. To Harry’s dismay the headmaster addressed the toad like woman named Dolores Umbridge as their new teacher.

  
As Dumbledore was about to continue the toad like woman interrupted the headmaster with her fake like girly giggle which caused everyone to look at her instead. Then she said in her fake girly voice: “Thank you, Headmaster,” Professor Umbridge simpered, “for those kind words of welcome.” She gave another little throat clearing cough (“Hem, hem”) and continued: “Well, it is lovely to be back at Hogwarts, I must say!” She smiled, revealing very pointed teeth. “And to see such happy little faces looking back at me!”

  
Harry glanced around. None of the faces he could see looked happy; on the contrary, they all looked rather taken aback at being addressed as though they were five years old.

  
“I am very much looking forward to getting to know you all, and I’m sure we’ll be very good friends!” Students exchanged looks at this; some of them were barely concealing grins.

  
“I’ll be her friend as long as I don’t have to borrow that cardigan,” Parvati whispered to Lavender, and both of them lapsed into silent giggles.

  
Professor Umbridge cleared her throat again (“Hem, hem”), but when she continued, some of the breathiness had vanished from her voice. She sounded much more businesslike and now her words had a dull learned-by-heart sound to them.

  
“The Ministry of Magic has always considered the education of young witches and wizards to be of vital importance. The rare gifts with which you were born may come to nothing if not nurtured and honed by careful instruction. The ancient skills unique to the Wizarding community must be passed down through the generations lest we lose them forever. The treasure trove of magical knowledge amassed by our ancestors must be guarded, replenished, and polished by those who have been called to the noble profession of teaching.”

  
“Every headmaster and headmistress of Hogwarts has brought something new to the weighty task of governing this historic school, and that is as it should be, for without progress there will be stagnation and decay. There again, progress for progress’s sake must be discouraged, for our tried and tested traditions often require no tinkering. A balance, then, between old and new, between permanence and change, between tradition and innovation . . .”

  
Harry found his attentiveness ebbing, as though his brain was slipping in and out of tune. The quiet that always filled the Hall when Dumbledore was speaking was breaking up as students put their heads together, whispering and giggling. Over at the Ravenclaw table, Cho Chang was chatting animatedly with her friends. A few seats along from Cho, Luna Lovegood had got out The Quibbler again. Meanwhile at the Hufflepuff table, Ernie Macmillan was one of the few still staring at Professor Umbridge, but he was glassy-eyed and Harry was sure he was only pretending to listen in an attempt to live up to the new prefect’s badge gleaming on his chest.

  
“. . . because some changes will be for the better, while others will come, in the fullness of time, to be recognized as errors of judgment. Meanwhile, some old habits will be retained, and rightly so, whereas others, outmoded and outworn, must be abandoned. Let us move forward, then, into a new era of openness, effectiveness, and accountability, intent on preserving what ought to be preserved, perfecting what needs to be perfected, and pruning wherever we find practices that ought to be prohibited.”

  
“And to those vampires siting there, I am well aware of the methods you used to threaten the Minister to get to this school and I’m telling you this now… You will not touch our students while I’m hear… you fealty blood-suckers!” Umbridge spat. Harry looked at every vampire in the surroundings and saw their eyes glowing red. Zero on the other hand just scoffed. After scoffing he began to hysterically laugh and the Professor. He was amused by what that toad woman just said.  
“Why are you laughing you stupid abomination!?” she spat again.

  
“I’m just amused by what you said that’s all” Zero said. “You see, only hunters like myself have the power to kill vampires such as this. Though your totally missing the point that this ‘blood-suckers’ as you call them are friends of mine. Still I understand you quite perfectly, I only have one piece of advice don’t ever insult a vampire unless you have a death wish, your little insult will just make things worse for you.”

  
The toad woman stared at the young boy fuming over what he said. “How dare you talk to me that way!?” she screamed. By now all of the vampires were staring at the silver hair boy with amusement in their eyes.

  
“I’m just telling you that if you value your life, don’t make enemies out of them,” said the boy. “And don’t ever underestimate your opponent because of their looks.”

  
In the moment the toad woman was about to start another retort, Professor Dumbledore took the few seconds and bead fear well to the students and made the prefects take their houses back to their respective tower. Harry just followed his friends back to the common room in the Gryffindor tower and hopefully prayed to talk to the new addition to the house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've just noticed that I didn't explain how Harry have been coupling with his thirst. Imagine first year when Seamus tried to turn his water into rum, only this time Harry turned it to blood instead. He did it while no-one was watching.


	3. After the Sorting and the Unfortunate First Day

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First day of school, troublesome...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all like this chapter. This chapter shall have different text format.

Format:

“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ _ **Normal**_ ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE  


**Chapter 3: After the Sorting and the Unfortunate First Day**

Ron and Hermione were walking to the Gryffindor Tower with the first years and the two Exchange Students from Cross Academy. Soon everyone was in front of the portrait of the Fat Lady.

  
“Password?” the fat lady asked the prefects.

  
“Mimbulus mimbletonia” Hermione said before moving to the side so that the fat lady could open the passage way to the Gryffindor common room. All of the new kids and the two vampires came inside only to see Harry and Seamus shouting at each other.

  
“What’s going on?” asked Ron.

  
“Do you really believe that You-Know-Who is back like THEY say?” asked Seamus exasperated.

  
“Yeah, I do!” Ron declared.

  
“Then you’re mad too,” said Seamus in disgust.

  
“Yeah? Well unfortunately for you, pal, I’m also a prefect!” said Ron, jabbing himself in the chest with a finger. “So unless you want detention, watch your mouth! So anyone else want to declare a war against Harry?”

  
Everyone else just shrugged and declared they were with Dumbledore’s and Harry’s side. The raven hair teen was feeling more tier than usual and the thirst was starting to surface again. Unfortunately for him the silver hair boy and the brunet girl felt his thirst and frustration. The brunet went to Harry and asked to talk to him mostly in private, in the most polite and beautiful voice. The silver hair boy just shrug his shoulder and went to the bedroom to sleep.

  
“Hello,” the brunet stated. “My name is Ayame Kuran.”

  
“Hi,” the ravenet said. “I’m Harry. It’s nice to meet you.”

  
“Are you feeling well, Harry?” asked Ayame after eying the ravenet. “You don’t look good. Is there something wrong?”

  
“…” Harry blushed a little around his cheek. Suddenly he felt the complete force of his thirst kick in. He clutch at his throat in pain. Ayame came rushing to his side. She had concern all over her face. He’s eyes which were a beautiful shade of emerald green had turned blood red.

  
“You’re not human aren’t you, Harry?” Ayame asked concerned. “There’s only 2 beings in the world which can change their eye color into blood red and they are vampires and demons. Demons would not clutch their throats in pain, which only gives us the vampire theory. Right?”

  
“…” Harry didn’t respond for a little while. Then said “My parents were purebloods with magical blood. My mother lost her parents when she was little and so did my father. None of them new their real parents and both were turn into humans after losing them. Their real parents sealed their vampire self and once human their magical genes became dominant. Or that’s what my mother told me a while ago in a dream.”

  
“I see…,” Ayame said a little thoughtful. “Well first of all we need to get you fed… When did you start feeling this changes and when did you awaken actually?”

  
“Well…,” Harry started feeling the pain once again.

  
“…Just get a glass of water for the time been,” she said. “You need to feed first before your thirst become a problem.”

  
Harry nodded and took his wand out. He then conjured a glass of water. Later he recited the spell turning the water into blood and drank it. His eyes instantly became emerald green again.

  
“Thanks…,” the ravenet said.

  
“No problem with me,” she started. “Though…I can’t talk for Zero, who’s the vampire hunter.”

  
Harry nodded again. “I’m sorry for this ordeal,” Harry started. “The answer to both of your questions is right after the dream with my mother. It took me some time to figure it out but…” Harry didn’t finish his sentence at that point.

  
“It’s Okay,” she said. “I know how it feels but I need to report this to Kaname-sama. We can’t have you missing your meals and that includes blood…and yes we eat human food as well. We don’t actually need to but it make us look more human that way.”

  
“Thanks,” Harry replied again.

  
“We better go back before someone starts saying I killed you or come looking for you,” Ayame said.

  
Harry nodded and went back inside the common room. For his dismay Zero was waiting for them along with Ron, Hermione and the twins. The wizards started bombarding him with questions right away. Zero on the other hand could feel the stress, tiredness and the aura the boy was producing at full force.

  
“Can you please let him breathe at least?” Zero asked. Harry looked at his lavender eyes and saw the understanding. “Can’t you see his tiered already? At least let him rest for the night and tomorrow you can ask him whatever you like.”

  
Ron scuffed at Zero’s statement. “You’re not his best friend so buck off.”

  
“Ron!” Hermione shouted at the red hair boy. “Zero’s right! Harry go and rest for today.”

  
“Thanks, guys,” Harry said with a tiered smile.

  
“Good Night, Harry,” said the twins.

  
**\----------------------------------------------      Zero’s POV       ------------------------------------**

  
All of the normal students were already in their rooms sleeping. I sighed tiredly. Today has been so damn tiring. I started going to my room when Ayame stopped me. I’ve never seen her this worried face on her before. I frowned for a second.

  
“ **What happened?** ” I asked concerned.

  
“ **Zero** ,” she started. “ **That boy, I don’t know how, is a pureblood vampire.** ”

  
“ **What?!** ” I almost shouted. “ **How is that even possible?!** ”

  
“ **shhh!** ” Ayame hushed me in a scolding manner. “ **Don’t shout.** ”

  
“ **Sorry,** ” I apologized. “ **But how can you be so sure?** ”

  
“ **It’s okay,** ” Ayame said. “ **I don’t know how, but, one minute he was all fine with normal emerald eyes and then suddenly his eyes turned blood red and started clutching his throat in pain. All of us need to talk and that includes mom and dad.** ”

  
Zero tensed at that statement but nodded never the less. After that little intercourse both vampires went to their respective rooms and tried to sleep.

  
\----------------------------------------------       **Author’s POV**      -------------------------------------------------

Today was the first day of class. Everyone was already in the great hall eating. Harry had just awoken and was dragging his feet tiredly to the great hall to eat breakfast. The raven hair teen noticed that none of the vampires were inside eating. As he took his seat with his friends and took some food into his plate Professor McGonagall came to them and gave them their schedule for the year. He looked at it and his face paled considerately.

  
“What the HELL is this!?” Ron shouted miserably. “Look at today!” groaned Ron. “History of Magic, double Potions, Divination, and double Defense Against the Dark Arts . . . Binns, Snape, Trelawney, and that Umbridge woman all in one day! I wish Fred and George’d hurry up and get those Skiving Snack boxes sorted. . . .”

  
“Do mine ears deceive me?” said Fred, arriving with George and squeezing onto the bench beside Harry. “Hogwarts prefects surely don’t wish to skive off lessons?”

  
“Look what we’ve got today,” said Ron grumpily, shoving his schedule under Fred’s nose. “That’s the worst Monday I’ve ever seen.”

  
“Fair point, little bro,” said Fred, scanning the column. “You can have a bit of Nosebleed Nougat cheap if you like.”

  
“Guys,” Harry started. “I don’t think it’s a good idea to make students bleed right now with the vampires around.”

  
“Rubbish,” said the twins. “I don’t think the vampires will just attack randomly,” said Fred. “And they need to have a lot of self-control to do what they came here to do, right?” finish George.

  
“I think so…” Harry trailed up.

  
After that everyone finished their breakfast and hurried to their class. Harry however stayed behind and waited for everyone to finish and go to class. He kept his glass of water in his hands and murmured the incantation to turn the water into blood. The teen gulped its contents in one go and hurried to Binns class. The class was as boring as ever and Harry took the opportunity to sleep a little more. After that it was double potions with Snape which was more of the same with said Professor trying to make a fool of all of the Gryffindor’s and praising all of the Slytherin’s.

  
The final class of the day was double Defense Against the Dark Arts with the toad woman. To his dismay the professor was bent to make him have detention. She accused him of been a liar and made him go to Professor McGonagall with a parchment explaining to her that she had given Harry detention for the week starting the next day. Unfortunately Ayame and Zero were made to take detention along with Harry as well. Professor McGonagall wasn’t very happy about this. Kaname on the other hand was fuming for what Umbridge had done with his little girl. Well to be more exact he was beyond enraged and so was Yuuki but they controlled themselves. They both wanted revenge but for the sake of the peace treaty to be legal they couldn’t attack a human ever again and that was final.

  
\------------------------------------------------------     **Flashback**    ---------------------------------------------------

  
_Harry, his friends and the vampires from Gryffindor and Slytherin walked along the passages to Professor Umbridge classroom. They all sat in the middle part of the class. Harry sat with Ron and Zero, Hermione with Ayame and Yuuki with Kaname. Ayame out of boredom made an origami and Hermione used transfiguration to make it fly. Everyone was having fun with the bird-like origami before Umbridge saw the bird and flicked her wand, burning the bird in the process. Ayame narrowed her brownish-red eyes at the toad-like woman._

  
_“Hey, that’s not fair!” Ayame shouted._

  
_“In my class half-breeds like yourself do what I tell you to do,” Umbridge inquired. “Now, good afternoon, children!” she said to the others and walking among the other children. “Tut, tut,” said Professor Umbridge. “That won’t do, now, will it? I should like you, please, to reply ‘Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge.’ One more time, please. Good afternoon, class!”_

  
_“Good afternoon, Professor Umbridge,” they chanted back at her._

  
_“There, now,” said Professor Umbridge sweetly. “That wasn’t too difficult, was it? Wands away and quills out, please.”_

  
_Many of the class exchanged gloomy looks; the order “wands away” had never yet been followed by a lesson they had found interesting. Harry shoved his wand back inside his bag and pulled out quill, ink, and parchment. Professor Umbridge opened her handbag, extracted her own wand, which was an unusually short one, and tapped the blackboard sharply with it; words appeared on the board at once:_

  
**_Defense Against the Dark Arts_ **  
**_A Return to Basic Principles._ **

  
_“Well now, your teaching in this subject has been rather disrupted and fragmented, hasn’t it?” stated Professor Umbridge, turning to face the class with her hands clasped neatly in front of her. “The constant changing of teachers, many of whom do not seem to have followed any Ministry-approved curriculum, has unfortunately resulted in your being far below the standard we would expect to see in your O.W.L. year. You will be pleased to know, however, that these problems are now to be rectified. We will be following a carefully structured, theory centered, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic this year. Copy down the following, please.”_

_She rapped the blackboard again; the first message vanished and was replaced by:_

  
**_Course aims:_ **  
**_1\. Understanding the principles underlying defensive magic._ **  
**_2\. Learning to recognize situations in which defensive magic can legally be used._ **  
**_3\. Placing the use of defensive magic in a context for practical use._ **

  
_For a couple of minutes the room was full of the sound of scratching quills on parchment. When everyone had copied down Professor Umbridge’s three course aims she said, “Has everybody got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?” There was a dull murmur of assent throughout the class._

  
_“I think we’ll try that again,” said Professor Umbridge. “When I ask you a question, I should like you to reply ‘Yes, Professor Umbridge,’ or ‘No, Professor Umbridge.’ So, has everyone got a copy of Defensive Magical Theory by Wilbert Slinkhard?”_

  
_“Yes, Professor Umbridge,” rang through the room._

  
_“Good,” said Professor Umbridge. “I should like you to turn to page five and read chapter one, ‘Basics for Beginners.’ There will be no need to talk.”_

  
_Professor Umbridge left the blackboard and settled herself in the chair behind the teacher’s desk, observing them all with those pouchy toad’s eyes. Harry turned to page five of his copy of Defensive Magical Theory and started to read._

  
_It was desperately dull, quite as bad as listening to Professor Binns. He felt his concentration sliding away from him; he had soon read the same line half a dozen times without taking in more than the first few words. Several silent minutes passed. Next to him, Ron was absentmindedly turning his quill over and over in his fingers, staring at the same spot on the page. Harry looked right and received a surprise to shake him out of his torpor. Hermione had not even opened her copy of Defensive Magical Theory. She was staring fixedly at Professor Umbridge with her hand in the air._

  
_Harry could not remember Hermione ever neglecting to read when instructed to, or indeed resisting the temptation to open any book that came under her nose. He looked at her questioningly, but she merely shook her head slightly to indicate that she was not about to answer questions, and continued to stare at Professor Umbridge, who was looking just as resolutely in another direction._

  
_After several more minutes had passed, however, Harry was not the only one watching Hermione. The chapter they had been instructed to read was so tedious that more and more people were choosing to watch Hermione’s mute attempt to catch Professor Umbridge’s eye than to struggle on with “Basics for Beginners.” When more than half the class were staring at Hermione rather than at their books, Professor Umbridge seemed to decide that she could ignore the situation no longer._

  
_“Did you want to ask something about the chapter, dear?” she asked Hermione, as though she had only just noticed her._

  
_“Not about the chapter, no,” said Hermione._

  
_“Well, we’re reading just now,” said Professor Umbridge, showing her small, pointed teeth. “If you have other queries we can deal with them at the end of class.”_

  
_“I’ve got a query about your course aims,” said Hermione._

  
_Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows._

  
_“And your name is — ?”_

  
_“Hermione Granger,” said Hermione._

  
_“Well, Miss Granger, I think the course aims are perfectly clear if you read them through carefully,” said Professor Umbridge in a voice of determined sweetness._

  
_“Well, I don’t,” said Hermione bluntly. “There’s nothing written up there about using defensive spells.”_

  
_There was a short silence in which many members of the class turned their heads to frown at the three course aims still written on the blackboard._

  
_“Using defensive spells?” Professor Umbridge repeated with a little laugh. “Why, I can’t imagine any situation arising in my classroom that would require you to use a defensive spell, Miss Granger. You surely aren’t expecting to be attacked during class?”_

  
_“We’re not going to use magic?” Ron ejaculated loudly._

  
_“Students raise their hands when they wish to speak in my class, Mr. — ?”_

  
_“Weasley,” said Ron, thrusting his hand into the air._

  
_Professor Umbridge, smiling still more widely, turned her back on him. Harry and Hermione immediately raised their hands too. Professor Umbridge’s pouchy eyes lingered on Harry for a moment before she addressed Hermione._

  
_“Yes, Miss Granger? You wanted to ask something else?”_

  
_“Yes,” said Hermione. “Surely the whole point of Defense Against the Dark Arts is to practice defensive spells?”_

  
_“Are you a Ministry-trained educational expert, Miss Granger?” asked Professor Umbridge in her falsely sweet voice._

  
_“No, but —”_

  
_“Well then, I’m afraid you are not qualified to decide what the ‘whole point’ of any class is. Wizards much older and cleverer than you have devised our new program of study. You will be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way —”_

  
_“What use is that?” said Harry loudly. “If we’re going to be attacked it won’t be in a —”_

  
_“Hand, Mr. Potter!” sang Professor Umbridge._

  
_“But he is right, professor-san,” Zero Kiryuu said._

  
_“What does a filthy thing like you know about this,” Professor Umbridge said fumingly._

  
_“More that you think I do,” Zero replied. “…professor.”_

  
_“I’m afraid that everyone needs to raise their hands before speaking, Mr. ---“ Umbridge said._

  
_“Kiryuu, Zero” replied Zero._

  
_Umbridge snorted. Harry thrust his fist in the air. Professor Umbridge promptly turned away from him again, but now several other people had their hands up too._

  
_“And your name is?” Professor Umbridge said to Dean._

  
_“Dean Thomas.”_

  
_“Well, Mr. Thomas?”_

  
_“Well, it’s like Harry said, isn’t it?” said Dean. “If we’re going to be attacked, it won’t be risk-free —”_

  
_“I repeat,” said Professor Umbridge, smiling in a very irritating fashion at Dean, “do you expect to be attacked during my classes?”_

  
_“No, but —”_

  
_Professor Umbridge talked over him._

  
_“I do not wish to criticize the way things have been run in this school,” she said, an unconvincing smile stretching her wide mouth, “but you have been exposed to some very irresponsible wizards in this class, very irresponsible indeed — not to mention,” she gave a nasty little laugh, “extremely dangerous half-breeds.”_

  
_“If you mean Professor Lupin,” piped up Dean Thomas angrily, “he was the best we ever —”_

  
_“Hand, Mr. Thomas! As I was saying — you have been introduced to spells that have been complex, inappropriate to your age group, and potentially lethal. You have been frightened into believing that you are likely to meet Dark attacks every other day —”_

  
_“No we haven’t,” Hermione said, “we just —”_

  
_“Your hand is not up, Miss Granger!”_

  
_Hermione put up her hand; Professor Umbridge turned away from her._

  
_“It is my understanding that my predecessor not only performed illegal curses in front of you, he actually performed them on you —”_

  
_“Well, he turned out to be a maniac, didn’t he?” said Dean Thomas hotly. “Mind you, we still learned loads —”_

  
_“Your hand is not up, Mr. Thomas!” trilled Professor Umbridge._

  
_“Now, it is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be more than sufficient to get you through your examination, which, after all, is what school is all about. And your name is?” she added, staring at Parvati, whose hand had just shot up._

  
_“Parvati Patil, and isn’t there a practical bit in our Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L.? Aren’t we supposed to show that we can actually do the counter curses and things?”_

  
_“As long as you have studied the theory hard enough, there is no reason why you should not be able to perform the spells under carefully controlled examination conditions,” said Professor Umbridge dismissively._

  
_“Without ever practicing them before?” said Parvati incredulously._

  
_“Are you telling us that the first time we’ll get to do the spells will be during our exam?”_

  
_“I repeat, as long as you have studied the theory hard enough —”_

  
_“And what good’s theory going to be in the real world?” said Harry loudly, his fist in the air again._

  
_Professor Umbridge looked up._

  
_“This is school, Mr. Potter, not the real world,” she said softly._

  
_“Sorry, Professor, but…” Ayame interrupted. “As Harry said the world is not nice not only to you people but for ours as well and it’s better be prepared than lamenting not doing anything when you could.”_

  
_“So we’re not supposed to be prepared for what’s waiting out there?” Harry continued._

  
_“There is nothing waiting out there, Mr. Potter.”_

  
_“Oh yeah?” said Harry. His temper, which seemed to have been bubbling just beneath the surface all day, was reaching boiling point. His aura was becoming more dangerous every second._

  
_“Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourselves?” inquired Professor Umbridge in a horribly honeyed voice._

  
_“Hmm, let’s think . . .” said Harry in a mock thoughtful voice, “maybe Lord Voldemort?”_

  
_Ron gasped; Lavender Brown uttered a little scream; Neville slipped sideways off his stool. Professor Umbridge, however, did not flinch. She was staring at Harry with a grimly satisfied expression on her face._

  
_“Ten points from Gryffindor, Mr. Potter.”_

  
_The classroom was silent and still. Everyone was staring at either Umbridge or Harry. The vampires however stared at both with their eyes glowing not only in disgust of such a nasty professor but also at the mention of the Dark wizard earlier._

  
_“Now, let me make a few things quite plain and clear.”  Professor Umbridge stood up and leaned toward them, her stubby fingered hands splayed on her desk.  “You have been told that a certain Dark wizard has returned from the dead —”_

  
_“He wasn’t dead,” said Harry angrily, “but yeah, he’s returned!”_

  
_“Mr.-Potter-you-have-already-lost-your-House-ten-points-do-not-make-matters-worse-for-yourself,” said Professor Umbridge in one breath without looking at him. “As I was saying, you have been informed that a certain Dark wizard is at large once again. This is a lie.”_

  
_“It is NOT a lie!” said Harry. “I saw him, I fought him!”_

  
_“Harry-kun,” Kaname said. “Calm down.”_

  
_“Detention, Mr. Potter!” said Professor Umbridge triumphantly._

  
_“Tomorrow evening. Five o’clock. My office. I repeat, this is a lie. The Ministry of Magic guarantees that you are not in danger from any Dark wizard. If you are still worried, by all means come and see me outside class hours. If someone is alarming you with fibs about reborn Dark wizards, I would like to hear about it. I am here to help. I am your friend. And now, you will kindly continue your reading. Page five, ‘Basics for Beginners.’ ”_

  
_Professor Umbridge sat down behind her desk again. Harry, however, stood up. Everyone was staring at him; Seamus looked half-scared, half-fascinated. The vampires however weren’t feeling very happy about the toad woman giving another pure-blood detention._

_“Harry, no!” Hermione whispered in a warning voice, tugging at his sleeve, but Harry jerked his arm out of her reach._

  
_“So, according to you, Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord, did he?” Harry asked, his voice shaking._

  
_There was a collective intake of breath from the class, for none of them, apart from Ron and Hermione, had ever heard Harry talk about what had happened on the night that Cedric had died. They stared avidly from Harry to Professor Umbridge, who had raised her eyes and was staring at him without a trace of a fake smile on her face._

  
_“Cedric Diggory’s death was a tragic accident,” she said coldly._

  
_“It was murder,” said Harry. He could feel himself shaking. He had hardly talked to anyone about this, least of all thirty eagerly listening classmates. “Voldemort killed him, and you know it.”_

  
_“Sensei,” said Ayame. “I can see when people are lying to me just by the tone of their voice. I can only hear truth from Harry's lips.”_

  
_“I agree with Ayame,” seconded Zero. “I can see it in his eyes that he’s telling the truth.”_

  
_“So you two are with his lies as well…” said the toad woman._

  
_Professor Umbridge’s face was quite blank. For a moment he thought she was going to scream at him. Then she said, in her softest, most sweetly girlish voice, “Come here, Mr. Potter, dear.”_

  
_He kicked his chair aside, strode around Ron and Hermione and up to the teacher’s desk. He could feel the rest of the class holding its breath. He felt so angry he did not care what happened next. Professor Umbridge pulled a small roll of pink parchment out of her handbag, stretched it out on the desk, dipped her quill into a bottle of ink, and started scribbling, hunched over so that Harry could not see what she was writing. Nobody spoke. After a minute or so she rolled up the parchment and tapped it with her wand; it sealed itself seamlessly so that he could not open it._

  
_“Take this to Professor McGonagall, dear,” said Professor Umbridge, holding out the note to him. “And take Mr. Kiryuu and Miss Kuran (?) with you.”_

  
_He took it from her without saying a word and left the room, not even looking back at Ron and Hermione, and slamming the classroom door shut behind him. Zero and Ayame were already outside when he shut the door. He walked very fast along the corridor, the note to McGonagall clutched tight in his hand, and turning a corner walked slap into Peeves the Poltergeist, a wide-faced little man floating on his back in midair, juggling several inkwells._

  
_“Why, it’s Potty Wee Potter!” cackled Peeves, allowing two of the inkwells to fall to the ground where they smashed and spattered the walls with ink; Harry jumped backward out of the way with a snarl._

  
_“Get out of it, Peeves.” Harry said angrily._

  
_“Oooh, Crackpot’s feeling cranky,” said Peeves, pursuing Harry along the corridor, leering as he zoomed along above him. “What is it this time, my fine Potty friend? Hearing voices? Seeing visions? Speaking in” — Peeves blew a gigantic raspberry — “tongues?”_

  
_“I said, leave me ALONE!” Harry shouted, running down the nearest flight of stairs, but Peeves merely slid down the banister on his back beside him._

  
_“Oh, most think he’s barking, the Potty wee lad, But some are more kindly and think he’s just sad, But Peevesy knows better and says that he’s mad —”_

  
_“SHUT UP!” Harry shouted again._

  
_“Harry-kun,” Ayame said. “Cal…”_

  
_“Calm down, kid,” Zero finished._

  
_A door to his left flew open and Professor McGonagall emerged from her office looking grim and slightly harassed._

  
_“What on earth are you shouting about, Potter?” she snapped, as Peeves cackled gleefully and zoomed out of sight. “Why aren’t you in class?”_

  
_“I’ve been sent to see you,” said Harry stiffly._

  
_“Sent? What do you mean, sent?”_

  
_He held out the note from Professor Umbridge. Professor McGonagall took it from him, frowning, slit it open with a tap of her wand, stretched it out, and began to read. Her eyes zoomed from side to side behind their square spectacles as she read what Umbridge had written, and with each line they became narrower._

  
_“Come in here, Potter, Kiryuu, Kuran.”_

  
_They followed her inside her study. The door closed automatically behind them._

  
_“Well?” said Professor McGonagall, rounding on him. “Is this true?”_

  
_“Is what true?” Harry asked, rather more aggressively than he had intended. “Professor?” he added in an attempt to sound more polite._

  
_“Is it true that you shouted at Professor Umbridge?”_

  
_“Yes,” said Harry._

  
_“You called her a liar?”_

  
_“Yes.”_

  
_“You told her He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back?”_

  
_“Yes.”_

  
_Professor McGonagall sat down behind her desk, frowning at Harry. Then she said, “Have a biscuit, Potter.”_

  
_“Have — what?”_

  
_“Have a biscuit,” she repeated impatiently, indicating a tartan tin of cookies lying on top of one of the piles of papers on her desk. “And sit down all of you.”_

  
_There had been a previous occasion when Harry, expecting to be caned by Professor McGonagall, had instead been appointed by her to the Gryffindor Quidditch team. He sank into a chair opposite her and helped himself to a Ginger Newt, feeling just as confused and wrong-footed as he had done on that occasion. Professor McGonagall set down Professor Umbridge’s note and looked very seriously at Harry._

  
_“Potter, you need to be careful.”_

  
_Harry swallowed his mouthful of Ginger Newt and stared at her. Her tone of voice was not at all what he was used to; it was not brisk, crisp, and stern; it was low and anxious and somehow much more human than usual._

  
_“Misbehavior in Dolores Umbridge’s class could cost you much more than House points and a detention.”_

  
_“What do you — ?”_

  
_“Potter, use your common sense,” snapped Professor McGonagall, with an abrupt return to her usual manner. “You know where she comes from, you must know to whom she is reporting.”_

  
_The bell rang for the end of the lesson. Overhead and all around came the elephantine sounds of hundreds of students on the move._

  
_“It says here she’s given you detention every evening this week, starting tomorrow,” Professor McGonagall said, looking down at Umbridge’s note again. “As for Kiryuu and Kuran, did you sided with Harry in this?”_

  
_“Yes,” they said in unison._

  
_“You two must be careful as well. She hates every living creature that is not a witch or a wizard. She wants you two in detention just like Mr. Potter every evening this week, starting tomorrow as well.”_

  
_“Every evening this week!” Harry repeated, horrified. “But, Professor, couldn’t you — ?”_

  
_“No, I couldn’t,” said Professor McGonagall flatly._

  
_“But —”_

  
_“She is your teacher and has every right to give you detention. You all will go to her room at five o’clock tomorrow for the first one. Just remember: Tread carefully around Dolores Umbridge.”_

  
_“But I was telling the truth!” said Harry, outraged. “Voldemort’s back, you know he is, Professor Dumbledore knows he is —”_

  
_“For heaven’s sake, Potter!” said Professor McGonagall, straightening her glasses angrily (she had winced horribly when he had used Voldemort’s name). “Do you really think this is about truth or lies? It’s about keeping your head down and your temper under control!”_

  
_She stood up, nostrils wide and mouth very thin, and they stood too._

  
_“Have another biscuit,” she said irritably, thrusting the tin at him._

  
_“No, thanks,” said Harry coldly._

  
_“Don’t be ridiculous,” she snapped._

  
_He took one._

  
_“Thanks,” he said grudgingly._

  
_“Didn’t you listen to Dolores Umbridge’s speech at the start-of term feast, Potter?”_

  
_“Yeah,” said Harry. “Yeah . . . she said . . . progress will be prohibited or . . . well, it meant that . . . that the Ministry of Magic is trying to interfere at Hogwarts.”_

  
_Professor McGonagall eyed him for a moment, then sniffed, walked around her desk, and held open the door for him._

  
_“Well, I’m glad you listen to Hermione Granger at any rate,” she said, pointing him out of her office. “Be careful you three.”_


	4. Second Day and First Detention with Professor Umbridge

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The second day of class and the first detention with Professor Umbridge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here it is, the next chapter. I hope you like it! Love ya all!

Format:

“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ _ **Normal**_ ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE

**Chapter 4: Second Day and First Detention with Professor Umbridge**

  
Dinner in the Great Hall that night was not a pleasant experience for Harry. The news about his shouting match with Umbridge seemed to have traveled exceptionally fast even by Hogwarts standards. He heard whispers all around him as he sat eating between Ron and Hermione. The funny thing was that none of the whisperers seemed to mind him overhearing what they were saying about him — on the contrary, it was as though they were hoping he would get angry and start shouting again, so that they could hear his story first hand.

  
“He says he saw Cedric Diggory murdered. . . .” said one of the students. 

  
“He reckons he dueled with You-Know-Who. . . .” said another one.

  
“Come off it. . . .” said a third.

  
“Who does he think he’s kidding?” a fourth said.

  
“Pur-lease . . .” a fifth interfered.

  
“What I don’t get,” said Harry in a shaking voice, laying down his knife and fork (his hands were trembling too much to hold them steady), “is why they all believed the story two months ago when Dumbledore told them. . . .”

  
“The thing is, Harry, I’m not sure they did,” said Hermione grimly. “Oh, let’s get out of here.”

  
She slammed down her own knife and fork; Ron looked sadly at his half-finished apple pie but followed suit. People stared at them all the way out of the Hall.

  
“What d’you mean, you’re not sure they believed Dumbledore?” Harry asked Hermione when they reached the first-floor landing.

  
“Look, you don’t understand what it was like after it happened,” said Hermione quietly. “You arrived back in the middle of the lawn clutching Cedric’s dead body. . . . None of us saw what happened in the maze. . . . We just had Dumbledore’s word for it that You-Know-Who had come back and killed Cedric and fought you.”

  
“Which is the truth!” said Harry loudly.

  
“I know it is, Harry, so will you please stop biting my head off?” said Hermione wearily. “It’s just that before the truth could sink in, everyone went home for the summer, where they spent two months reading about how you’re a nutcase and Dumbledore’s going senile!”

  
Rain pounded on the windowpanes as they strode along the empty corridors back to Gryffindor Tower. Harry felt as though his first day had lasted a week, but he still had a mountain of homework to do before bed. A dull pounding pain was developing over his right eye. He glanced out of a rain-washed window at the dark grounds as they turned into the Fat Lady’s corridor. There was still no light in Hagrid’s cabin.

  
“Mimbulus mimbletonia,” said Hermione, before the Fat Lady could ask. The portrait swung open to reveal the hole behind and the three of them scrambled back through it. The common room was almost empty; nearly everyone was still down at dinner. Crookshanks uncoiled himself from an armchair and trotted to meet them, purring loudly, and when Harry, Ron, and Hermione took their three favorite chairs at the fireside he leapt lightly into Hermione’s lap and curled up there like a furry ginger cushion. Harry gazed into the flames, feeling drained and exhausted.

  
“How can Dumbledore have let this happen?” Hermione cried suddenly, making Harry and Ron jump; Crookshanks leapt off her, looking affronted. She pounded the arms of her chair in fury, so that bits of stuffing leaked out of the holes. “How can he let that terrible woman teach us? And in our O.W.L. year too!”

  
“Well, we’ve never had great Defense Against the Dark Arts teachers, have we?” said Harry. “You know what it’s like, Hagrid told us, nobody wants the job, they say it’s jinxed.”

  
“Yes, but to employ someone who’s actually refusing to let us do magic! What’s Dumbledore playing at?”

  
“And she’s trying to get people to spy for her,” said Ron darkly. “Remember when she said she wanted us to come and tell her if we hear anyone saying You-Know-Who’s back?”

  
“Of course she’s here to spy on us all, that’s obvious, why else would Fudge have wanted her to come?” snapped Hermione.

  
“Don’t start arguing again,” said Harry wearily, as Ron opened his mouth to retaliate. “Can’t we just . . . Let’s just do that homework, get it out of the way. . . . Please?”

  
They collected their schoolbags from a corner and returned to the chairs by the fire. People were coming back from dinner now. Harry kept his face averted from the portrait hole, but could still sense the stares he was attracting.

  
“Shall we do Snape’s stuff first?” said Ron, dipping his quill into his ink. “ ‘The properties . . . of moonstone . . . and its uses . . . in potion making . . .’ ” he muttered, writing the words across the top of his parchment as he spoke them. “There.” He underlined the title, then looked up expectantly at Hermione.

  
“So what are the properties of moonstone and its uses in potion making?” But Hermione was not listening; she was squinting over into the far corner of the room, where Fred, George, and Lee Jordan were now sitting at the center of a knot of innocent-looking first years, all of whom were chewing something that seemed to have come out of a large paper bag that Fred was holding.

  
“No, I’m sorry, they’ve gone too far,” she said, standing up and looking positively furious. “Come on, Ron.”

  
“I — what?” said Ron, plainly playing for time. “No — come on, Hermione — we can’t tell them off for giving out sweets. . . .”

  
“You know perfectly well that those are bits of Nosebleed Nougat or — or Puking Pastilles or —”

  
“Fainting Fancies?” Harry suggested quietly.

  
One by one, as though hit over the heads with invisible mallets, the first years were slumping unconscious in their seats; some slid right onto the floor, others merely hung over the arms of their chairs, their tongues lolling out. Most of the people watching were laughing; Hermione, however, squared her shoulders and marched directly over to where Fred and George now stood with clipboards, closely observing the unconscious first years. Ron rose halfway out of his chair, hovered uncertainly for a moment or two, then muttered to Harry, “She’s got it under control,” before sinking as low in his chair as his lanky frame permitted.

  
“That’s enough!” Hermione said forcefully to Fred and George, both of whom looked up in mild surprise.

  
“Yeah, you’re right,” said George, nodding, “this dosage looks strong enough, doesn’t it?”

  
“I told you this morning, you can’t test your rubbish on students!” she screamed exasperatedly.

  
“We’re paying them!” said Fred indignantly.

  
“I don’t care, it could be dangerous!” she screamed again.

  
“Rubbish,” said Fred.

  
“Calm down, Hermione, they’re fine!” said Lee reassuringly as he walked from first year to first year, inserting purple sweets into their open mouths.

  
“Yeah, look, they’re coming round now,” said George.

  
A few of the first years were indeed stirring. Several looked so shocked to find themselves lying on the floor, or dangling off their chairs, that Harry was sure Fred and George had not warned them what the sweets were going to do.

  
“Feel all right?” said George kindly to a small dark-haired girl lying at his feet.

  
“I-I think so,” she said shakily.

  
“Excellent,” said Fred happily, but the next second Hermione had snatched both his clipboard and the paper bag of Fainting Fancies from his hands.

  
“It is NOT excellent!”

  
“ ’Course it is, they’re alive, aren’t they?” said Fred angrily.

  
“You can’t do this, what if you made one of them really ill?”

  
“We’re not going to make them ill, we’ve already tested them all on ourselves, this is just to see if everyone reacts the same —”

  
“If you don’t stop doing it, I’m going to —”

  
“Put us in detention?” said Fred in an I’d-like-to-see-you-try-it voice.

  
“Make us write lines?” said George, smirking.

  
Onlookers all over the room were laughing. Hermione drew herself up to her full height; her eyes were narrowed and her bushy hair seemed to crackle with electricity.

  
“No,” she said, her voice quivering with anger, “but I will write to your mother.”

  
“You wouldn’t,” said George, horrified, taking a step back from her.

  
“Oh, yes, I would,” said Hermione grimly. “I can’t stop you eating the stupid things yourselves, but you’re not giving them to first years.”

  
Fred and George looked thunderstruck. It was clear that as far as they were concerned, Hermione’s threat was way below the belt. With a last threatening look at them, she thrust Fred’s clipboard and the bag of Fancies back into his arms and stalked back to her chair by the fire. Ron was now so low in his seat that his nose was roughly level with his knees.

  
“Thank you for your support, Ron,” Hermione said acidly.

  
“You handled it fine by yourself,” Ron mumbled.

  
Hermione stared down at her blank piece of parchment for a few seconds, then said edgily, “Oh, it’s no good, I can’t concentrate now. I’m going to bed.”

  
She wrenched her bag open; Harry thought she was about to put her books away, but instead she pulled out two misshapen woolly objects, placed them carefully on a table by the fireplace, covered them with a few screwed-up bits of parchment and a broken quill, and stood back to admire the effect.

  
“What in the name of Merlin are you doing?” said Ron, watching her as though fearful for her sanity.

  
“They’re hats for house-elves,” she said briskly, now stuffing her books back into her bag. “I did them over the summer. I’m a really slow knitter without magic, but now I’m back at school I should be able to make lots more.”

  
“You’re leaving out hats for the house-elves?” said Ron slowly. “And you’re covering them up with rubbish first?”

  
“Yes,” said Hermione defiantly, swinging her bag onto her back.

  
“That’s not on,” said Ron angrily. “You’re trying to trick them into picking up the hats. You’re setting them free when they might not want to be free.”

  
“Of course they want to be free!” said Hermione at once, though her face was turning pink. “Don’t you dare touch those hats, Ron!”

  
She left. Ron waited until she had disappeared through the door to the girls’ dormitories, then cleared the rubbish off the woolly hats.

  
“They should at least see what they’re picking up,” he said firmly.

  
“Anyway . . .” He rolled up the parchment on which he had written the title of Snape’s essay. “There’s no point trying to finish this now, I can’t do it without Hermione, I haven’t got a clue what you’re supposed to do with moonstones, have you?”

  
Harry shook his head, noticing as he did so that the ache in his right temple was getting worse. He thought of the long essay on giant wars and the pain stabbed at him sharply. Knowing perfectly well that he would regret not finishing his homework tonight when the morning came, he piled his books back into his bag.

  
“I’m going to bed too.”

  
He passed Seamus on the way to the door leading to the dormitories, but did not look at him. Harry had a fleeting impression that Seamus had opened his mouth to speak, but sped up, and reached the soothing peace of the stone spiral staircase without having to endure any more provocation.

  
Harry went to his bed. Zero had already entered before him but didn’t know when. Harry rapidly changed his robes into pajamas and walked over to were his new friend was. Out of the blue Zero took his pistol out and pointed it at Harry.

  
“Hey, wait a minute, Zero…” Harry said shakily. “It’s me, Harry. I’m sorry for the detention. It wasn’t my intention. I’m really sorry.”

  
“It’s okay,” Zero replied. “By the way, announce yourself before coming to close. I really don’t like when a pure-blood comes to close to me when I’m sleeping. It gets on my nerves.”

  
“Sorry,” Harry replied. “I’ll have that in mind next time. Good night, Zero.”

  
“’Night.”

  
The following day dawned just as leaden and rainy as the previous one. Hagrid was still absent from the staff table at breakfast.

  
“But on the plus side, no Snape today,” said Ron bracingly.

  
Hermione yawned widely and poured herself some coffee. She looked mildly pleased about something, and when Ron asked her what she had to be so happy about, she simply said, “The hats have gone. Seems the house-elves do want freedom after all.”

  
“I wouldn’t bet on it,” Ron told her cuttingly. “They might not count as clothes. They didn’t look anything like hats to me, more like woolly bladders.”

  
Hermione did not speak to him all morning. Double Charms was succeeded by double Transfiguration. Professor Flitwick and Professor McGonagall both spent the first fifteen minutes of their lessons lecturing the class on the importance of O.W.L.s.

  
“What you must remember,” said little Professor Flitwick squeakily, perched as ever on a pile of books so that he could see over the top of his desk, “is that these examinations may influence your futures for many years to come! If you have not already given serious thought to your careers, now is the time to do so. And in the meantime, I’m afraid, we shall be working harder than ever to ensure that you all do yourselves justice!”

  
They then spent more than an hour reviewing Summoning Charms, which according to Professor Flitwick were bound to come up in their O.W.L., and he rounded off the lesson by setting them their largest amount of Charms homework ever.  It was the same, if not worse, in Transfiguration.

  
“You cannot pass an O.W.L.,” said Professor McGonagall grimly, “without serious application, practice, and study. I see no reason why everybody in this class should not achieve an O.W.L. in Transfiguration as long as they put in the work.” Neville made a sad little disbelieving noise. “Yes, you too, Longbottom,” said Professor McGonagall.

  
“There’s nothing wrong with your work except lack of confidence. So . . . today we are starting Vanishing Spells. These are easier than Conjuring Spells, which you would not usually attempt until N.E.W.T. level, but they are still among the most difficult magic you will be tested on in your O.W.L.”

  
She was quite right; Harry found the Vanishing Spells horribly difficult. By the end of a double period, neither he nor Ron had managed to vanish the snails on which they were practicing, though Ron said hopefully that he thought his looked a bit paler. Hermione, on the other hand, successfully vanished her snail on the third attempt, earning her a ten-point bonus for Gryffindor from Professor McGonagall. She was the only person not given homework; everybody else was told to practice the spell overnight, ready for a fresh attempt on their snails the following afternoon.

  
Now panicking slightly about the amount of homework they had to do, Harry and Ron spent their lunch hour in the library looking up the uses of moonstones in potion-making. Still angry about Ron’s slur on her woolly hats, Hermione did not join them. By the time they reached Care of Magical Creatures in the afternoon, Harry’s head was aching again.

  
The day had become cool and breezy, and, as they walked down the sloping lawn toward Hagrid’s cabin on the edge of the Forbidden Forest, they felt the occasional drop of rain on their faces. Professor Grubbly-Plank stood waiting for the class some ten yards from Hagrid’s front door, a long trestle table in front of her laden with many twigs. As Harry and Ron reached her, a loud shout of laughter sounded behind them; turning, they saw Draco Malfoy striding toward them, surrounded by his usual gang of Slytherin cronies. He had clearly just said something highly amusing, because Crabbe, Goyle, Pansy Parkinson, and the rest continued to snigger heartily as they gathered around the trestle table. Judging by the fact that all of them kept looking over at Harry, he was able to guess the subject of the joke without too much difficulty.

  
“Everyone here?” barked Professor Grubbly-Plank, once all the Slytherins and Gryffindors had arrived. “Let’s crack on then — who can tell me what these things are called?” 

She indicated the heap of twigs in front of her. Hermione’s hand shot into the air. Behind her back, Malfoy did a buck-toothed imitation of her jumping up and down in eagerness to answer a question. Pansy Parkinson gave a shriek of laughter that turned almost at once into a scream, as the twigs on the table leapt into the air and revealed themselves to be what looked like tiny pixieish creatures made of wood, each with knobbly brown arms and legs, two twig like fingers at the end of each hand, and a funny, flat, bark like face in which a pair of beetle-brown eyes glittered.

  
“Oooooh!” said Parvati and Lavender, thoroughly irritating Harry: Anyone would have thought that Hagrid never showed them impressive creatures; admittedly the flobberworms had been a bit dull, but the salamanders and hippogriffs had been interesting enough, and the Blast-Ended Skrewts perhaps too much so.

  
“Kindly keep your voices down, girls!” said Professor Grubbly- Plank sharply, scattering a handful of what looked like brown rice among the stick-creatures, who immediately fell upon the food.

  
“So — anyone know the names of these creatures? Miss Granger?”

  
“Bowtruckles,” said Hermione. “They’re tree-guardians, usually live in wand-trees.”

  
“Five points for Gryffindor,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank. “Yes, these are bowtruckles and, as Miss Granger rightly says, they generally live in trees whose wood is of wand quality. Anybody know what they eat?”

  
“Wood lice,” said Hermione promptly, which explained why what Harry had taken for grains of brown rice were moving. “But fairy eggs if they can get them.”

  
“Good girl, take another five points. So whenever you need leaves or wood from a tree in which a bowtruckle lodges, it is wise to have a gift of wood lice ready to distract or placate it. They may not look dangerous, but if angered they will gouge out human eyes with their fingers, which, as you can see, are very sharp and not at all desirable near the eyeballs. So if you’d like to gather closer, take a few wood lice and a bowtruckle — I have enough here for one between three — you can study them more closely. I want a sketch from each of you with all body parts labeled by the end of the lesson.”  The class surged forward around the trestle table. Harry deliberately circled around the back so that he ended up right next to Professor Grubbly-Plank.

  
“Where’s Hagrid?” he asked her, while everyone else was choosing bowtruckles.

  
“Never you mind,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank repressively, which had been her attitude last time Hagrid had failed to turn up for a class too. Smirking all over his pointed face, Draco Malfoy leaned across Harry and seized the largest bowtruckle.

  
“Maybe,” said Malfoy in an undertone, so that only Harry could hear him, “the stupid great oaf ’s got himself badly injured.”

  
“Maybe you will if you don’t shut up,” said Harry out of the side of his mouth. Harry’s eyes began to take a tint of red in his emerald eyes. Ayame and Zero were beginning to feel his intent to kill the Malfoy kid and ran to his side. Kaname and Yuuki who were also there along with Seiren began to relax a little and started to sketch the creature in front of them.

  
“I suggest that, if you really don’t want to lose your life,” Zero began. “You start behaving like an adult and stop the childish behavior your using that someday will end up killing you.”

  
Draco scuffed. “Maybe he’s been messing with stuff that’s too big for him, if you get my drift.” Malfoy walked away, smirking over his shoulder at Harry, who suddenly felt sick. Did Malfoy know something? His father was a Death Eater, after all; what if he had information about Hagrid’s fate that had not yet reached the Order’s ears?  Ayame felt Harry’s little distress and wrap her left arm around the ravenet shoulder. Zero on the other hand began to glare at the blond with real hatred.

  
“Don’t worry, Harry,” Ayame reassured. “Your friend is fine.”

  
They walked to another bowtruckle that was not taken and began to sketch it. Harry unlike other times could see the creature perfectly. He could identify every little detail the creature had. His eye sight had been getting better as well to the point his glasses were beginning to become a hindrance.  After Care of Magical Creatures, there was Herbology next. Harry, Ron, Hermione and the vampires walk to the nearest greenhouse. The door of the nearest greenhouse opened and some fourth years spilled out of it, including Ginny.

  
“Hi,” she said brightly as she passed. A few seconds later, Luna Lovegood emerged, trailing behind the rest of the class, a smudge of earth on her nose and her hair tied in a knot on the top of her head. When she saw Harry, her prominent eyes seemed to bulge excitedly and she made a beeline straight for him. Many of his classmates turned curiously to watch. Luna took a great breath and then said, without so much as a preliminary hello: “I believe He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named is back, and I believe you fought him and escaped from him.”

  
“Er — right,” said Harry awkwardly. Luna was wearing what looked like a pair of orange radishes for earrings, a fact that Parvati and Lavender seemed to have noticed, as they were both giggling and pointing at her earlobes.  After that Ernie voiced his support as well and all of the fifth years entered the greenhouse where Professor Sprout was waiting. To nobody’s surprise, Professor Sprout started their lesson by lecturing them about the importance of O.W.L.s. Harry wished all the teachers would stop doing this; he was starting to get an anxious, twisted feeling in his stomach every time he remembered how much homework he had to do, a feeling that worsened dramatically when Professor Sprout gave them yet another essay at the end of class. Tired and smelling strongly of dragon dung, Professor Sprout’s preferred brand of fertilizer, the Gryffindors trooped back up to the castle an hour and a half later, none of them talking very much; it had been another long day.

  
As Harry was starving, and he had his first detention with Umbridge at five o’clock, he headed straight for dinner without dropping off his bag in Gryffindor Tower so that he could bolt something down before facing whatever she had in store for him. He had barely reached the entrance of the Great Hall, however, when a loud and angry voice said, “Oy, Potter!”

  
“What now?” he muttered wearily, turning to face Angelina Johnson, who looked as though she was in a towering temper.

  
“I’ll tell you what now,” she said, marching straight up to him and poking him hard in the chest with her finger. “How come you’ve landed yourself in detention for five o’clock on Friday?”

  
“What?” said Harry. “Why . . . oh yeah, Keeper tryouts!”

  
“Now he remembers!” snarled Angelina. “Didn’t I tell you I wanted to do a tryout with the whole team, and find someone who fitted in with everyone? Didn’t I tell you I’d booked the Quidditch pitch specially? And now you’ve decided you’re not going to be there!”

  
“I didn’t decide not to be there!” said Harry, stung by the injustice of these words. “I got detention from that Umbridge woman, just because I told her the truth about You-Know-Who —”

  
“Well, you can just go straight to her and ask her to let you off on Friday,” said Angelina fiercely, “and I don’t care how you do it, tell her You-Know-Who’s a figment of your imagination if you like, just make sure you’re there!” She stormed away.

  
“You know what?” Harry said to Ron and Hermione as they entered the Great Hall. “I think we’d better check with Puddlemere United whether Oliver Wood’s been killed during a training session, because she seems to be channeling his spirit.”

  
“What d’you reckon are the odds of Umbridge letting you off on Friday?” said Ron skeptically, as they sat down at the Gryffindor table.

  
“Less than zero,” said Harry glumly, tipping lamb chops onto his plate and starting to eat. “Better try, though, hadn’t I? I’ll offer to do two more detentions or something, I dunno. . . .” He swallowed a mouthful of potato and added, “I hope she doesn’t keep me too long this evening. You realize we’ve got to write three essays, practice Vanishing Spells for McGonagall, work out a countercharm for Flitwick, finish the bowtruckle drawing, and start that stupid dream diary for Trelawney?”

  
Ron moaned and for some reason glanced up at the ceiling. “And it looks like it’s going to rain.”

  
“What’s that got to do with our homework?” said Hermione, her eyebrows raised.

  
“Nothing,” said Ron at once, his ears reddening.  At five to five Harry bade the other two good-bye and set off for Umbridge’s office on the third floor. When he knocked on the door she said, “Come in,” in a sugary voice. He entered cautiously, looking around. 

  
He had known this office under three of its previous occupants. In the days when Gilderoy Lockhart had lived here it had been plastered in beaming portraits of its owner. When Lupin had occupied it, it was likely you would meet some fascinating Dark creature in a cage or tank if you came to call. In the impostor Moody’s days it had been packed with various instruments and artifacts for the detection of wrongdoing and concealment.

  
Now, however, it looked totally unrecognizable. The surfaces had all been draped in lacy covers and cloths. There were several vases full of dried flowers, each residing on its own doily, and on one of the walls was a collection of ornamental plates, each decorated with a large technicolor kitten wearing a different bow around its neck. These were so foul that Harry stared at them, transfixed, until Professor Umbridge spoke again. “Good evening, Mr. Potter.”

  
Harry started and looked around. He had not noticed her at first because she was wearing a luridly flowered set of robes that blended only too well with the tablecloth on the desk behind her.

  
“Evening,” Harry said stiffly.

  
“Well, sit down,” she said, pointing toward a small table draped in lace beside which she had drawn up a straight-backed chair. A piece of blank parchment lay on the table, apparently waiting for him.

  
“Er,” said Harry, without moving. “Professor Umbridge? Er — before we start, I-I wanted to ask you a . . . a favor.”

  
Her bulging eyes narrowed.

  
“Oh yes?"

  
“Well I’m . . . I’m on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. And I was supposed to be at the tryouts for the new Keeper at five o’clock on Friday and I was — was wondering whether I could skip detention that night and do it — do it another night . . . instead . . .” He knew long before he reached the end of his sentence that it was no good.

  
“Oh no,” said Umbridge, smiling so widely that she looked as though she had just swallowed a particularly juicy fly. “Oh no, no, no. This is your punishment for spreading evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, Mr. Potter, and punishments certainly cannot be adjusted to suit the guilty one’s convenience. No, you will come here at five o’clock tomorrow, and the next day, and on Friday too, and you will do your detentions as planned. I think it rather a good thing that you are missing something you really want to do. It ought to reinforce the lesson I am trying to teach you.”

  
Harry felt the blood surge to his head and heard a thumping noise in his ears. So he told evil, nasty, attention-seeking stories, did he? She was watching him with her head slightly to one side, still smiling widely, as though she knew exactly what he was thinking and was waiting to see whether he would start shouting again. With a massive effort Harry looked away from her, dropped his schoolbag beside the straight-backed chair, and sat down.

  
“There,” said Umbridge sweetly, “we’re getting better at controlling our temper already, aren’t we? Now, you are going to be doing some lines for me, Mr. Potter. No, not with your quill,” she added, as Harry bent down to open his bag. “You’re going to be using a rather special one of mine. Here you are.”

  
She handed him a long, thin black quill with an unusually sharp point.

  
“I want you to write, ‘I must not tell lies,’ ” she told him softly.

  
“How many times?” Harry asked, with a creditable imitation of politeness.

  
“Oh, as long as it takes for the message to sink in,” said Umbridge sweetly. “Off you go.”

  
She moved over to her desk, sat down, and bent over a stack of parchment that looked like essays for marking. Harry raised the sharp black quill and then realized what was missing.

  
“You haven’t given me any ink,” he said.

  
“Oh, you won’t need ink,” said Professor Umbridge with the merest suggestion of a laugh in her voice. “By the way, Mr. Potter, do you know where the other two are?”

  
In that moment Ayame and Zero walked through the door without even knocking. Zero was glaring at the toad woman with great fervor. Ayame on the other hand looked bored. She sat down in one of the empty chairs that Umbridge had made out of nowhere. Zero sat down as well but was still glaring at the woman. Professor Umbridge giggled again.

  
“Well,” Professor Umbridge said. “I was wondering if you were going to come. Now you’re going to be doing some lines as well as is Mr. Potter. I’d like you two to write, ‘I must not interfere in class’. Do you understand? You’ll be using a special quill of mine, you won’t be needing anything else. Now off you go.”

  
They all started to write their lines. After finishing their first line a great pain took over their opposite hand that was not use for writing. A second later the words appeared and disappeared once again. The vampire princess hadn’t felt so much humiliation in a while by a human. Her eyes were starting to glow blood red. Zero looked at her with the same expression she had. Harry sensing her, looked at her eyes; he looked at her apologetically. Then he looked at Zero with the same look in his eyes.

  
After a few hours of doing lines their skin was red with some scratches. Umbridge felt pride swell in herself. She called Harry first and then went to the vampires whose eyes were glowing blood-red still. The toad like woman smirked at the vampires and said: “so you finally show your true self you filth.”

  
Zero began to glare even harder but Ayame calmed him down so that he didn’t attack the toad woman and started the war between wizards and vampires. After a while Umbridge gave the permeation to go back to the common room. Ayame, Zero and Harry felt more tiered than usual. Unfortunately all of that blood loss with the magical quill ended up having a hungry Harry in Zero’s and Ayame’s hands. At that moment there was no way but for one of them to give the ravenet some of their blood. Ayame was the one to volunteer.

  
Zero was not happy at all. If he hadn’t be a stupid level D, he could have helped the poor boy. He really knew how the boy felt. Been a pure-blood new born was not easy. Ayame on the other hand had develop feelings for the other new born prince, making her willing to exchange her blood for her new beloved. Harry without realizing had begun to develop feelings for the brunette as well and happily accepted her blood for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like the story so far and please live some comments so that I can improve my writing. You can write what you think of the story and how to improve it but Please NO BASHING! Love you all and have a nice new year!


	5. Feelings, Confessions and More Detention

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry and Ayame admit their feelings for each other, confess it to themselves and family and the toad woman gives more detention to the three innocent vampires.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you're liking the story so far. This is the next chapter in the story. ^_^

Format:

  
“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ ** _Normal_** ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE

  
**Chapter 5: Feelings, Confessions and More Detention**

  
~Previews chapter details~

  
Harry’s eyes were red from blood loss when they finished their first detention. Zero out of concern decided to help the poor new-born teen by giving some of his blood but Ayame out of love decided to interfere and give her blood willingly instead.

  
~Story starts~

  
The silver hair teen was confused. From the very beginning he knew that the pure-bloods blood suckers didn’t like other vampires drinking their blood. Even now drinking pure blood from any pure-blood family was a taboo among vampires. Zero’s beautiful lavender eyes narrowed at the thought of letting Ayame give her blood to the teen. He knew the tantrum Kaname would make when he found out about it. Not only that, but Zero was certain that if Kaname knew that it happened right in front of his eyes, the pure-blood would definitely kill him.

  
“Why, Ayame?” Zero asked in distress.

  
Ayame looked at Harry, smiled and replied: “because I love him, Zero.” Harry’s eyes widen at the thought of her loving him. “I would do anything and everything for him,” Ayame continued.

  
“Ayame,” Zero could do nothing in this case, he knew that. “I know how it feels like but think about what your leader might do to him if he finds out.” He emphasized the word leader with a spat.

  
“I already told him how I feel about Harry,” Ayame replied.

  
“…” Zero was speechless. The pure-blood King, letting Ayame do this was unheard off. He knew Kaname better than anyone, he knew how the pure-blood’s mind worked for a long time. To use people as chess pieces was Kuran’s favorite. Zero was now afraid of what might happen but to stubborn to admitted held his tong.

  
Harry was flustered by the exchange of the other two before the thirst became even more unbearable. He let out a sharp cry while clutching at his throat, eyes glowing even more red. In his mind, secretly, Harry has been feeling the same way about Ayame. He fell in love with her the moment that his eyes looked upon her. You could say that it was love at first sight. Harry wanted her, he thought how her taste would be like, but at the same time he didn’t wanted to hurt her. After all he didn’t know anything about the vampire population, nor their costume. This was the first time Harry had ever felt at a loss, not knowing what to do or say.

  
“It’s okay,” Ayame reassured. “You can drink. Nobody can say anything as long as I’ve willingly given it. Not even the King.” She emphasized the last sentence to Zero.

  
Harry’s mind became fussier with the thirst, so fussy that he never knew when Ayame had walk to him. Zero annoyed by Ayame’s actions decided to just walk away to their common room living them alone. The brunet tilted her head to the side to give her love more access to her pale neck. Harry wrap one arm around her waist and the other to the back of her head. His fingers locking with her hair. He licked and kissed her neck lovingly first, preparing her for what was to come next. She shuddered in Harry’s arms in pleasure. His fangs lengthened in a second kissing her neck one last time before biting her beautiful pale neck and tasting her for the first time. They both moaned in pure bliss at the contact. Ayame blushed at the intimate way Harry drank her blood, as if she were the most precious being in the world to him. After two mouth full of blood the ravenet teen retracted his fangs from her and closed the wound by licking and kissing it in the proses.

  
Harry felt his chicks burn as he saw Ayame’s blush and panting form. “Ayame,” he started with a blush of his own. “I want to tell you something as well.” He blushed even more while replying: “I love you too. Would you be my girlfriend?”

  
Ayame’s eyes widen at the confession and blushed even more so. By now her hole face was like a tomato. The ravenet looked at her eyes with hopeful eyes. What he saw made him smile and love her evermore. She looked at him with loving eyes, with a beautiful smile on her face. Not trusting her voice, she nodded at the teen who was still looking at her.

  
Harry let out a sigh of contempt that he didn’t know he was holding until now. The brunet smile even more in contempt before the teen lined in and give her a peck on the lips. It was so fast that the confusion didn’t let her react. Harry lined again to kiss her lips feeling the softness of them in his. This time he stayed a little longer only to deepen the kiss. Ayame was surprised at first but then closed her eyes and let the kiss deepen wrapping her hands around Harry’s neck in the proses. They both moaned into the kiss. Their eyes were closed by now and Harry took it upon himself to deepen the kiss more by brushing his tong in Ayame’s lower lip silently asking for entrance and wrapping his arms protectively around her waist. The brunet obliged and opened her mouth a little. Harry took the liberty and thrusted his tong into her open mouth tasting every corner and memorizing every inch. Now they both were a moaning mess and the need for air was at its limit.

  
In that moment they remembered where they were and separated from each other panting from the intensity of their kiss. Harry took his now lover’s right hand in his left and took her back to the common room. The fat lady was not happy been awaken in the middle of the night by two fifth years but never-the-less let them go in once they gave the correct password. By now there was no one in the common room. Harry decided to do his homework at that moment and Ayame, not really sleepy, decided to help him with it. It took them the rest of the night to finish their homework but it was worth it at the end. Ayame took it upon herself to help her beloved by revising his essays and Harry did the same for her. Once morning came the only thing left to do was the dream journal for Trelawney which he just made a dream up. That day there was another detention with the toad woman after class. He hated that woman with a really big passion. To think that he would be having detention with her for the rest of the week was infuriating.

  
That day the others saw the change in Harry’s behavior. They first thought it was their imagination since Harry was sitting beside Ron and Hermione still but then they saw that he passed more time with the vampire brunet than his best friends.

  
“Harry,” started Hermione after they had breakfast. “Did something happened yesterday? You’re a little distant today.”

  
“No,” Harry said. “Nothing happened. I’m just a little tired, that’s all.”

  
“Hey, mate,” Ron said. “How come you never went to bed yesterday after detention with Umbridge? I stayed up in the common room until the Zero guy return only for him to glare at me after I asked him where you were. It was 1 in the morning so I went to sleep.”

  
Harry sighed. “Ron I never went to bed since I stayed up all night finishing homework with Ayame.”

  
Kaname was looking from his part of the Slytherin table at Ayame and Harry. Yuuki on the other hand was looking at her little girl’s interaction with Harry. The Kuran queen and king looked at each other before stepping out of the table and walking to the Gryffindor table, specifically where Harry, Ayame, Ron and Hermione were sitting.

  
“Ayame,” started Kaname. “May I have a word with you and Harry as well? In privet, please.” After saying that he gives the ravenet a reassuring smile.

  
“ **Hai** ,” ( **yes** ) Ayame said to her father. She looked at Harry for a second. Harry nodded his head as an answer. Harry and Ayame stepped out of their table bench. Ron and Hermione looked at the exchange not believing this was happening. Ron whimpered while Hermione took Harry’s sleeves. Harry look at the witch smiling reassuringly and started to walk away.

  
All four pure-bloods walked away from the dining hall. They went to the next floor and entered the first empty classroom they saw. Harry immediately put some charms so that nobody that was passing would hear what they were talking about nor could open the door and interrupt their conversation.

  
“What did you wanted to talk with us,” Ayame began. “Father?”

  
“Ayame,” Yuuki began. “What happen last night? Your father and I smelled your blood.”

  
“What did that woman did to you?” Kaname asked concerned.

  
Ayame looked at Harry before replying: “She made Harry, Zero and I do some lines with a magic blood quill.” As she said that she rolled over her sleeve and Harry’s so that her parents could see the marks in them.

  
“That toad dear touch my little baby?” asked Yuuki angrily. “Not only that but injure another pure-blood descendant.” Yuuki was fuming with rage.

  
“Calm down, my love,” Kaname said to his wife with barely concealed rage. “That woman will pay for injuring them but now is not the time. Harry, I wanted to ask you something.”

  
“What is it you want to ask,” Harry replied. “My lord?”

  
Kaname chuckled before asking: “How do you feel about my daughter?”

  
Harry blushed before saying: “I’m in love with her, more than I thought, and I would do anything for her.”

  
The king and queen smiled at his response. They could feel the bond between the two which was beginning to build. Vampires unlike other creatures have soulmates that lasted a lifetime. If something were to happen to their love one, they could lose their senses and become killing monster like the case of the Hio princess Shizuka. The first step of the bond was to take each other’s blood. Then to complete it they had to have sexual intercourse. None of them wanted their daughter to bond to quickly with her soulmate. They could coup with the first face but they didn’t want the second and last face to occur just yet. They knew that once the last face was complete, if something bad were to happen to either of them, there will be no turning back. Never the less they were happy for their daughter. To think that her mate-to-be would be from the most agent of families, the Potter and their own.

  
“Harry,” Kaname began. “What would you like to do?”

  
Harry blushed even more before saying: “I would like to have her as my girlfriend, sir.”

  
The Kuran king and his queen smiled at him. Kaname replied then: “You have our blessing. Just one thing though, don’t hurt her.” He said sternly. Harry looked at the Kuran male and nodded his agreement. In that moment the bell rang and all four ran to their classroom.

  
That day at five they all went for detention and found themselves doing more lines with the same quill. By now the lines weren’t fading completely like yesterday’s. After they finished for the day Ayame was beginning to thirst for blood and Harry willingly give his completing the first step of the bond. On Thursday’s detention the lines didn’t fade at all and stayed imbedded on their hands completely but still Umbridge thought that the message was not yet completely imbedded to heart making them come on Friday as well. That night while going back to their common room, they run into Ron and were bound to tell the red head the truth about Harry’s and Ayame’s relationship as well as what Umbridge were doing with them in detention (Ron had seen Harry fidgeting with his hand that had been bandaged by Ayame and saw the blood running through the fabric). In Friday Harry’s Quidditch captain began to pester him about wanting him in the fields that day and Harry snapped at the girl telling her that he did wanted to be there in the tryouts but there was no way that he could with the detentions with Umbridge and that he had tried to talk to her about it but the woman never let him. Ayame second it telling her that he did tried to convince her but the lady just ignored it.

  
Harry, Ayame and Zero went for their last detention like always. Ayame noticed that he was more distracted seen the game than actually writing his lines. Zero saw the interaction between the two distracted couple not wanting to keep on writing as well only with an occasional line now and then. That night the toad woman released the vampire kids early and yet late. They walked directly to their common room only to see the others celebrating. Harry and Ayame grunted at the noise while Zero glared with real tired hatred in his eyes. Ron went to Harry and told him that he had been made into Keeper and Harry too tired for anything just congratulated him and after telling Ron that he was tired went to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review so that I can improve my writing. Give me some feedback of the story, please~. Love you all that are reading thus far.


	6. A Chaotic Day of Quidditch Practice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Harry writes to his godfather, the Kuran's have a meeting in the Slytherin common room and off to the Quidditch first practice with their new Gryffindor team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like the story so far. This is another chapter in one day... Really hope you enjoy it :)

Format:

  
“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ ** _Normal_** ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE

**Chapter 6: A chaotic day of Quidditch practice**

After everyone had gone to sleep, Harry went back to the common room and found his beautiful mate waiting for him. She looked to where Harry was, smiling and went over to him to give him a peck in the lips. He leans in and deepen the kiss a little bit more before pulling back reluctantly for air.

  
“What are you doing here?” asked Harry.

  
“I thought about seen you again before going back to the girls’ rooms,” Ayame answer. “What are you doing up anyway?”

  
“I was thinking about going to the owlery tomorrow and give Hedwig a letter to deliver for my godfather,” Harry said. “I’ve been having wired dreams lately.”

  
“What kind of dreams, my love?” asked Ayame.

  
“Not exactly pleasant ones,” replied Harry. “I was also thinking of telling him of my love for you.”

  
Ayame blushed at the thought of such a statement. “Okay, but what if he tries to pull us apart? I can’t live without you by my side.”

  
“Me neither, and he won’t, he wants me to be happy” said Harry. “He loves me too much to do that.”

  
Ayame nods and hugs her mate, giving Harry another peck on the lips. In that moment Zero came out of the boy’s rooms and saw Harry wrapping his arms around Ayame’s lower back.

  
“Hum, Hum,” cough Zero to make his presence known to both vampires. Harry and Ayame looked at the puzzle face of the silver hair vampire hunter. Zero sighed before continuing: “okay, what did I miss this time?”

  
“Nothing much,” Ayame said reluctantly living her lover’s side and warm embrace. “We were just talking before you showed up.”

  
Zero grunted not really into the mood. He had woken up in the middle of the night just to find Harry’s bed empty. The silver hair hunter had been aware of the dreaming state the ravenet teen was having every night. The nightmares the boy had given of a powerful darken aura around the room. Sometimes it felt like cold shivers, others, an atmosphere so hot that you thought you were in an oven been cooked alive.

  
“Are you going to say what is happening in your dreams?” Zero asked suddenly.

  
“Yes, I was thinking about talking with my godfather about it.” Harry replied.

  
“… I think you should talk with your headmaster as well,” Zero said. “And also I think you should talk with Kaname-senpai about your powers going out of control while you are having those nightmares.”

  
“What are you talking about?” asked Harry a little lost.

  
“Every time you have those dreams,” Zero started. “The room would start to feel either chilly cold or extremely hot.”

  
“Is that true, Harry?” Ayame asked.

  
“…” Harry felt very confused at that moment.

  
“I see,” Ayame said. “I’ll talk to father tomorrow. You need to get your powers under control before the humans in the dorms end up dead.”

  
“…” Harry stayed silent.

  
“Don’t worry,” said Zero. “It’s not you. Every newborn has difficulty with their power.”

  
“We better get back to our rooms before the prefects end up finding out that were not there and come to get us,” concluded Ayame.

  
Ayame went back to Harry and wrapped her arms around him, giving a quick peck again. The ravenet did the same wrapping his arms around her lower back. Both were pulling themselves closer to the other only to be separated by a grumpy Zero.

  
~In the morning~

  
Harry was the first to awake in his dormitory next morning. He lay for a moment watching dust swirl in the chink of sunlight falling through the gap in his four-poster’s hangings and savored the thought that it was Saturday. The first week of term seemed to have dragged on forever, like one gigantic History of Magic lesson. Judging by the sleepy silence and the freshly minted look of that beam of sunlight, it was just after daybreak. He pulled open the curtains around his bed, got up, and started to dress. The only sound apart from the distant twittering of birds was the slow, deep breathing of his fellow Gryffindors. He opened his schoolbag carefully, pulled out parchment and quill, and headed out of the dormitory for the common room.

  
Making straight for his favorite squashy old armchair beside the now extinct fire, Harry settled himself down comfortably and unrolled his parchment while looking around the room. The detritus of crumpled-up bits of parchment, old Gobstones, empty ingredient jars, and candy wrappers that usually covered the common room at the end of each day was gone, as were all Hermione’s elf hats. Wondering vaguely how many elves had now been set free whether they wanted to be or not, Harry uncorked his ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and then held it suspended an inch above the smooth yellowish surface of his parchment, thinking hard. . . . But after a minute or so he found himself staring into the empty grate, at a complete loss for what to say.

  
He could now appreciate how hard it had been for Ron and Hermione to write him letters over the summer. How was he supposed to tell Sirius everything that had happened over the past week and pose all the questions he was burning to ask without giving potential letter-thieves a lot of information he did not want them to have? He sat quite motionless for a while, gazing into the fireplace, then, finally coming to a decision, he dipped his quill into the ink bottle once more and set it resolutely upon the parchment.

>   
>  _Dear Snuffles,_
> 
> _Hope you’re okay, the first week back here’s been terrible, I’m really glad it’s the weekend. We’ve got a new Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher, Professor_ _Umbridge. She’s nearly as nice as your mum. I’m writing because that thing I wrote to you about last summer happened again last night when I was doing a detention with Umbridge. We’re all missing our biggest friend, we hope he’ll be back soon and one more thing; there’s a girl I’d like you to meet next time. Please write back quickly._
> 
>   
>  _Best,_
> 
>   
>  _Harry_

  
Harry reread this letter several times, trying to see it from the point of view of an outsider. He could not see how they would know what he was talking about — or who he was talking to — just from reading this letter. He did hope Sirius would pick up the hint about Hagrid and tell them when he might be back: Harry did not want to ask directly in case it drew too much attention to what Hagrid might be up to while he was not at Hogwarts.

  
Considering it was a very short letter it had taken a long time to write; sunlight had crept halfway across the room while he had been working on it, and he could now hear distant sounds of movement from the dormitories above. Sealing the parchment carefully he climbed through the portrait hole and headed off for the Owlery.

  
“I would not go that way if I were you,” said Nearly Headless Nick, drifting disconcertingly through a wall just ahead of him as he walked down the passage. “Peeves is planning an amusing joke on the next person to pass the bust of Paracelsus halfway down the corridor.”

  
“Does it involve Paracelsus falling on top of the person’s head?” asked Harry.

  
“Funnily enough, it does,” said Nearly Headless Nick in a bored voice. “Subtlety has never been Peeves’s strong point. I’m off to try and find the Bloody Baron. . . . He might be able to put a stop to it. . . . See you, Harry. . . .”

  
“Yeah, ’bye,” said Harry and instead of turning right, he turned left, taking a longer but safer route up to the Owlery. His spirits rose as he walked past window after window showing brilliantly blue sky; he had training later; he would be back on the Quidditch pitch at last — Something brushed his ankles. He looked down and saw the caretaker’s skeletal gray cat, Mrs. Norris, slinking past him. She turned lamp like yellow eyes upon him for a moment before disappearing behind a statue of Wilfred the Wistful.

  
“I’m not doing anything wrong,” Harry called after her. She had the unmistakable air of a cat that was off to report to her boss, yet Harry could not see why; he was perfectly entitled to walk up to the Owlery on a Saturday morning.

  
The sun was high in the sky now and when Harry entered the Owlery the glassless windows dazzled his eyes; thick silvery beams of sunlight crisscrossed the circular room in which hundreds of owls nestled on rafters, a little restless in the early morning light, some clearly just returned from hunting. The straw-covered floor crunched a little as he stepped across tiny animal bones, craning his neck for a sight of Hedwig.

  
“There you are,” he said, spotting her somewhere near the very top of the vaulted ceiling. “Get down here, I’ve got a letter for you.”

  
With a low hoot she stretched her great white wings and soared down onto his shoulder.

  
“Right, I know this says ‘Snuffles’ on the outside,” he told her, giving her the letter to clasp in her beak and, without knowing exactly why, whispering, “but it’s for Sirius, okay?” She blinked her amber eyes once and he took that to mean that she understood.

  
“Safe flight, then,” said Harry and he carried her to one of the windows; with a moment’s pressure on his arm Hedwig took off into the blindingly bright sky. He watched her until she became a tiny black speck and vanished, then switched his gaze to Hagrid’s hut, clearly visible from this window, and just as clearly uninhabited, the chimney smokeless, the curtains drawn.

  
~Time skip (Great Hall) ~

  
Harry walked to the great hall for breakfast after encountering with Cho Chang and Filch the caretaker at the owlery. “Morning,” Harry said brightly to Ron and Hermione, joining them at the Gryffindor table in the Great Hall.

  
“What are you looking so pleased about?” said Ron, eyeing Harry in surprise.

  
“Quidditch later,” said Harry happily, pulling a large platter of bacon and eggs toward him.

  
“Oh . . . yeah . . .” said Ron. He put down the bit of toast he was eating and took a large swig of pumpkin juice. Then he said, “Listen . . . you don’t fancy going out a bit earlier with me, do you? Just to, err, give me some practice before training? So I can, you know, get my eye in a bit . . .”

  
“Yeah, okay,” said Harry.

  
“Look, I don’t think you should,” said Hermione seriously, “you’re both really behind on homework as it —”

  
But she broke off; the morning post was arriving and, as usual, the Daily Prophet was soaring toward her in the beak of a screech owl, which landed perilously close to the sugar bowl and held out a leg; Hermione pushed a Knut into its leather pouch, took the newspaper, and scanned the front page critically as the owl took off again.

  
“Anything interesting?” said Ron; Harry smiled — he knew Ron was keen to get her off the subject of homework.

  
“No,” she sighed, “just some guff about the bass player in the Weird Sisters getting married. . . .”

  
She opened the paper and disappeared behind it. Harry devoted himself to another helping of eggs and bacon; Ron was staring up at the high windows, looking slightly preoccupied.

  
“Wait a moment,” said Hermione suddenly. “Oh no . . . Sirius!”

  
“What’s happened?” said Harry, and he snatched at the paper so violently that it ripped down the middle so that he and Hermione were holding half each.

  
“ _‘The Ministry of Magic has received a tip-off from a reliable source that Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer . . . blah, blah, blah . . . is currently hiding in London!’_ ” Hermione read from her half in an anguished whisper.

  
“Lucius Malfoy, I’ll bet anything,” said Harry in a low, furious voice. “He _did_ recognize Sirius on the platform. . . .”

  
“What?” said Ron, looking alarmed. “You didn’t say —”

  
“Shhh!” said the other two. “. . . _‘Ministry warns Wizarding community that Black is very dangerous . . . killed thirteen people . . . broke out of Azkaban . . .’_ the usual rubbish,” Hermione concluded, laying down her half of the paper and looking fearfully at Harry and Ron. “Well, he just won’t be able to leave the house again, that’s all,” she whispered. “Dumbledore did warn him not to.”

  
Harry looked down glumly at the bit of the _Prophet_ he had torn off. Most of the page was devoted to an advertisement for Madame Malkin’s Robes for All Occasions, which was apparently having a sale.

  
“Hey!” he said, flattening it down so Hermione and Ron could both see it. “Look at this!”

  
“I’ve got all the robes I want,” said Ron.

  
“No,” said Harry, “look . . . this little piece here . . .”

  
Ron and Hermione bent closer to read it; the item was barely an inch long and placed right at the bottom of a column. It was headlined:

  
_**TRESPASS AT MINISTRY** _

  
_Sturgis Podmore, 38, of number two, Laburnum Gardens, Clapham, has appeared in front of the Wizengamot charged with trespass and attempted robbery at the Ministry of Magic on 31st August. Podmore was arrested by Ministry of Magic watch wizard Eric Munch, who found him attempting to force his way through a top-security door at one o’clock in the morning. Podmore, who refused to speak in his own defense, was convicted on both charges and sentenced to six months in Azkaban._

  
“Sturgis Podmore?” said Ron slowly, “but he’s that bloke who looks like his head’s been thatched, isn’t he? He’s one of the Ord —”

  
“Ron, _shhh_!” said Hermione, casting a terrified look around them.

  
“Six months in Azkaban!” whispered Harry, shocked. “Just for trying to get through a door!”

  
“Don’t be silly, it wasn’t just for trying to get through a door — what on earth was he doing at the Ministry of Magic at one o’clock in the morning?” breathed Hermione.

  
“D’you reckon he was doing something for the Order?” Ron muttered.

  
“Wait a moment. . . .” said Harry slowly. “Sturgis was supposed to come and see us off, remember?”

  
The other two looked at him.

  
“Yeah, he was supposed to be part of our guard going to King’s Cross, remember? And Moody was all annoyed because he didn’t turn up, so that doesn’t seem like he was supposed to be on a job for them, does it?”

  
“Well, maybe they didn’t expect him to get caught,” said Hermione.

  
“It could be a frame-up!” Ron exclaimed excitedly. “No — listen!” he went on, dropping his voice dramatically at the threatening look on Hermione’s face. “The Ministry suspects he’s one of Dumbledore’s lot so — I dunno — they _lured_ him to the Ministry, and he wasn’t trying to get through a door at all! Maybe they’ve just made something up to get him!”

  
There was a pause while Harry and Hermione considered this. Harry thought it seemed far-fetched; Hermione, on the other hand, looked rather impressed and said, “Do you know, I wouldn’t be at all surprised if that were true.”

  
~Same time in the Slytherin Common Room~

  
Ayame, Zero, Yuuki and Kaname were all in the Slytherin common room talking to each other in Japanese. Each wore an expressionless face while they talked.

  
“ **Well, what is it you want to talk about?** ” Kaname asked Zero in a monotone voice.

  
“ **Harry’s powers are beginning to unleash themselves,** ” Zero answer.

  
“ **What powers?** ” Kaname asked.

  
“ **For what I’ve been able to see and feel, I guess…** ” Zero said before continuing. “ **water and fire.** ”

  
“ **Water and Fire?!** ” Kaname was astounded. “ **Really Zero and when was it that you were going to tell me this?!** ”

  
“ **Father, Zero isn’t at fault!** ” Ayame said. “ **He was having great control of his powers…until he started detention with Umbridge.** ”

  
“ **So you're saying that it all happen thanks to that toad woman,** ” Kaname concluded.

  
“ **Yes, father,** ” Ayame affirmed.

  
“ **We’ll need to give him training so that he doesn’t end up killing the students by accident,** ” Kaname told his daughter. “ **I’m counting on you my little princess to tell him. We start his training in two weeks.** ”

  
“ **Of course father,** ” Ayame confirmed bowing her head.

  
“ **But Kaname we need a secret room that doesn’t contain any humans in it,** ” Yuuki said a little exasperated.

  
“ **That’s why I said two weeks, my love,** ” Kaname answer.

  
“ **Well I’m going to the Quidditch pitch right now,** ” Ayame said. “ **Harry’s going to practice and I want to be there for him.** ”

  
Ayame went to her parents and gave them each a peck on the chick and a hug before living the common room. Later she went to the great hall took a little food and water which she made into blood with the new tablet and went to the common room again to wait a little more until it was time for the Quidditch practice.

  
~Later Quidditch pitch~

  
Harry glanced over to his right as they approached the Quidditch pitch, to where the trees of the Forbidden Forest were swaying darkly. Nothing flew out of them; the sky was empty but for a few distant owls fluttering around the Owlery Tower. He had enough to worry about; the flying horse wasn’t doing him any harm: He pushed it out of his mind. They collected balls from the cupboard in the changing room and set to work, Ron guarding the three tall goalposts, Harry playing Chaser and trying to get the Quaffle past Ron. Harry thought Ron was pretty good; he blocked three-quarters of the goals Harry attempted to put past him and played better the longer they practiced.

  
After a couple of hours, they returned to the school, where they ate lunch, during which Hermione made it quite clear that she thought they were irresponsible, then returned to the Quidditch pitch for the real training session. All their teammates but Angelina were already in the changing room when they entered.

  
“All right, Ron?” said George, winking at him.

  
“Yeah,” said Ron, who had become quieter and quieter all the way down to the pitch.

  
“Ready to show us all up, Ickle Prefect?” said Fred, emerging tousle-haired from the neck of his Quidditch robes, a slightly malicious grin on his face.

  
“Shut up,” said Ron, stony-faced, pulling on his own team robes for the first time. They fitted him well considering they had been Oliver Wood’s, who was rather broader in the shoulder.

  
“Okay everyone,” said Angelina, entering from the Captain’s office, already changed. “Let’s get to it; Alicia and Fred, if you can just bring the ball crate out for us. Oh, and there are a couple of people out there watching but I want you to just ignore them, all right?”

  
Something in her would-be casual voice made Harry think he might know who the uninvited spectators were, and sure enough, when they left the changing room for the bright sunlight of the pitch it was to a storm of catcalls and jeers from the Slytherin Quidditch team and assorted hangers-on, who were grouped halfway up the empty stands and whose voices echoed loudly around the stadium.

  
“What’s that Weasley’s riding?” Malfoy called in his sneering drawl.

  
“Why would anyone put a Flying Charm on a moldy old log like that?” Crabbe, Goyle, and Pansy Parkinson guffawed and shrieked with laughter. Ron mounted his broom and kicked off from the ground and Harry followed him, watching his ears turn red from behind.

  
“Ignore them,” he said, accelerating to catch up with Ron. “We’ll see who’s laughing after we play them. . . .”

  
“Exactly the attitude I want, Harry,” said Angelina approvingly, soaring around them with the Quaffle under her arm and slowing to hover on the spot in front of her airborne team. “Okay everyone, we’re going to start with some passes just to warm up, the whole team please —”

  
“Hey, Johnson, what’s with that hairstyle anyway?” shrieked Pansy Parkinson from below. “Why would anyone want to look like they’ve got worms coming out of their head?”

  
Angelina swept her long braided hair out of her face and said calmly, “Spread out, then, and let’s see what we can do. . . .”

  
Harry reversed away from the others to the far side of the pitch. Ron fell back toward the opposite goal. Angelina raised the Quaffle with one hand and threw it hard to Fred, who passed to George, who passed to Harry, who passed to Ron, who dropped it.

  
The Slytherins, led by Malfoy, roared and screamed with laughter. Ron, who had pelted toward the ground to catch the Quaffle before it landed, pulled out of the dive untidily, so that he slipped sideways on his broom, and returned to playing height, blushing. Harry saw Fred and George exchange looks, but uncharacteristically neither of them said anything, for which he was grateful.

  
“Pass it on, Ron,” called Angelina, as though nothing had happened. Ron threw the Quaffle to Alicia, who passed back to Harry, who passed to George. . . .

  
“Hey, Potter, how’s your scar feeling?” called Malfoy. “Sure you don’t need a lie-down? It must be, what, a whole week since you were in the hospital wing, that’s a record for you, isn’t it?”

  
Fred passed to Angelina; she reverses passing it to Harry, who had not been expecting it, but caught it in the very tips of his fingers and passed it quickly to Ron, who lunged for it and missed by inches.

  
“Come on now, Ron,” said Angelina crossly, as Ron dived for the ground again, chasing the Quaffle. “Pay attention.”

  
It would have been hard to say whether Ron’s face or the Quaffle was a deeper scarlet when he returned again to playing height. Malfoy and the rest of the Slytherin team were howling with laughter.

  
On his third attempt, Ron caught the Quaffle; perhaps out of relief he passed it on so enthusiastically that it soared straight through Katie’s outstretched hands and hit her hard in the face.

  
“Sorry!” Ron groaned, zooming forward to see whether he had done any damage.

  
“Get back in position, she’s fine!” barked Angelina. “But as you’re passing to a teammate, do try not to knock her off her broom, won’t you? We’ve got Bludgers for that!”

  
Katie’s nose was bleeding. Down below the Slytherins were stamping their feet and jeering. Fred and George converged on Katie.

  
“Here, take this,” Fred told her, handing her something small and purple from out of his pocket. “It’ll clear it up in no time.”

  
“All right,” called Angelina, “Fred, George, go and get your bats and a Bludger; Ron, get up to the goalposts, Harry, release the Snitch when I say so. We’re going to aim for Ron’s goal, obviously.”

  
Harry zoomed off after the twins to fetch the Snitch.

“Ron’s making a right pig’s ear of things, isn’t he?” muttered George, as the three of them landed at the crate containing the balls and opened it to extract one of the Bludgers and the Snitch.

  
“He’s just nervous,” said Harry. “He was fine when I was practicing with him this morning.”

  
“Yeah, well, I hope he hasn’t peaked too soon,” said Fred gloomily.

  
They returned to the air. When Angelina blew her whistle, Harry released the Snitch and Fred and George let fly the Bludger; from that moment on, Harry was barely aware of what the others were doing. It was his job to recapture the tiny fluttering golden ball that was worth a hundred and fifty points to the Seeker’s team and doing so required enormous speed and skill. He accelerated, rolling and swerving in and out of the Chasers, the warm autumn air whipping his face and the distant yells of the Slytherins so much meaningless roaring in his ears. . . . But too soon, the whistle brought him to a halt again.

“Stop — _stop_ – STOP!” screamed Angelina. “Ron — you’re not covering your middle post!”

  
Harry looked around at Ron, who was hovering in front of the left hand hoop, leaving the other two completely unprotected.

  
“Oh . . . sorry . . .” he says.

  
“You keep shifting around while you’re watching the Chasers!” said Angelina. “Either stay in center position until you have to move to defend a hoop, or else circle the hoops, but don’t drift vaguely off to one side, that’s how you let in the last three goals!”

  
“Sorry . . .” Ron repeated, his red face shining like a beacon against the bright blue sky.

  
“And Katie, can’t you do something about that nosebleed?”

  
“It’s just getting worse!” said Katie thickly, attempting to stem the flow with her sleeve.

  
Harry glanced around at Fred, who was looking anxious and checking his pockets. He saw Fred pull out something purple, examine it for a second, and then look around at Katie, evidently horrorstruck.

  
“Well, let’s try again,” said Angelina. She was ignoring the Slytherins, who had now set up a chant of “ _Gryffindor are losers, Gryffindor are losers,_ ” but there was a certain rigidity about her seat on the broom nevertheless.

  
This time they had been flying for barely three minutes when Angelina’s whistle sounded. Harry, who had just sighted the Snitch circling the opposite goalpost, pulled up feeling distinctly aggrieved.

  
“What now?” he said impatiently to Alicia, who was nearest.

  
“Katie,” she said shortly.

  
Harry turned and saw Angelina, Fred, and George all flying as fast as they could toward Katie. Harry and Alicia sped toward her too. It was plain that Angelina had stopped training just in time; Katie was now chalk-white and covered in blood.

  
“She needs the hospital wing,” said Angelina.

  
“We’ll take her,” said Fred. “She, err, might have swallowed a Blood Blisterpod by mistake —”

  
“Well, there’s no point continuing with no Beaters and a Chaser gone,” said Angelina glumly, as Fred and George zoomed off toward the castle supporting Katie between them. “Come on, let’s go and get changed.”

  
The Slytherins continued to chant as they trailed back into the changing rooms. Right when the Gryffindor team was entering the changing room, Ayame, with all the delicacy in the world went to the Slytherins. There she began to stop their chanting and after they stopped gave them a death glare and told them never to do that again. She was incredibly mad, fuming, that those kids would be so incredibly childish for their own good. Hermione was by Ayame’s side trying to stop her from killing the Slytherins.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please, live a review and/or kudos if you like this story! I can't improve my writing if you don't live comments in it. :(


	7. Sirius Answer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sirius gives his answer to Harry mail using the floo call.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like this chapter and happy easter! :)

FORMAT:

“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ _ **Normal**_ ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE 

**Chapter 7: Sirius Answer**

~Gryffindor’s common room~

  
Ron was fuming the moment that Quidditch practice was over. He was so mad that went straight to the study hall to start his homework. Hermione was trying to be a smart ass as always and only ended up on Ron’s bad side. Harry and Ayame were both cuddle in a sofa waiting for the other two lovebirds to make-up once and for all. As they lay there Harry saw the silhouette of Sirius head on the fireplace.

  
“Er — Harry?” said Ron uncertainly. “Why are you down there?”

  
“Because I’ve just seen Sirius’s head in the fire,” said Harry.

  
He spoke quite calmly; after all, he had seen Sirius’s head in this very fire the previous year and talked to it too. Nevertheless, he could not be sure that he had really seen it this time. . .. It had vanished so quickly. . ..

  
“Sirius’s head?” Hermione repeated. “You mean like when he wanted to talk to you during the Triwizard Tournament? But he wouldn’t do that now, it would be too — _Sirius_!”

  
She gasped, gazing at the fire; Ron dropped his quill. There in the middle of the dancing flames sat Sirius’s head, long dark hair falling around his grinning face.

  
“I was starting to think you’d go to bed before everyone else had disappeared,” he said. “I’ve been checking every hour.”

  
“You’ve been popping into the fire every hour?” Harry said, half laughing.

  
“Just for a few seconds to check if the coast was clear yet.”

  
“But what if you’d been seen?” said Hermione anxiously.

  
“Well, I think a girl — first year by the look of her — might’ve got a glimpse of me earlier, but don’t worry,” Sirius said hastily, as Hermione clapped a hand to her mouth. “I was gone the moment she looked back at me and I’ll bet she just thought I was an oddly shaped log or something.”

  
“But Sirius, this is taking an awful risk —” Hermione began.

  
“You sound like Molly,” said Sirius. “This was the only way I could come up with of answering Harry’s letter without resorting to a code — and codes are breakable.”

  
At the mention of Harry’s letter, Hermione and Ron had both turned to stare at him.

  
“You didn’t say you’d written to Sirius!” said Hermione accusingly.

  
“I forgot,” said Harry, which was perfectly true; his meeting with Cho in the Owlery had driven everything before it out of his mind.

  
“Don’t look at me like that, Hermione, there was no way anyone would have got secret information out of it, was there, Sirius?”

  
“No, it was very good,” said Sirius, smiling. “Anyway, we’d better be quick, just in case we’re disturbed — your scar.”

  
“What about —?” Ron began, but Hermione said quickly, “We’ll tell you afterward, go on, Sirius.”

  
“Well, I know it can’t be fun when it hurts, but we don’t think it’s anything to really worry about. It kept aching all last year, didn’t it?”

  
“Yeah, and Dumbledore said it happened whenever Voldemort was feeling a powerful emotion,” said Harry, ignoring, as usual, Ron and Hermione’s winces. “So maybe he was just, I dunno, really angry or something the night I had that detention.”

  
“Well, now he’s back it’s bound to hurt more often,” said Sirius.

  
“So you don’t think it had anything to do with Umbridge touching me when I was in detention with her?” Harry asked.

  
“I doubt it,” said Sirius. “I know her by reputation and I’m sure she’s no Death Eater —”

  
“She’s foul enough to be one,” said Harry darkly and Ron and Hermione nodded vigorously in agreement.

  
“Yes, but the world isn’t split into good people and Death Eaters,” said Sirius with a wry smile. “I know she’s a nasty piece of work, though — you should hear Remus talk about her.”

  
“Does Lupin know her?” asked Harry quickly, remembering Umbridge’s comments about dangerous half-breeds during her first lesson.

  
“No,” said Sirius, “but she drafted a bit of anti-werewolf legislation two years ago that makes it almost impossible for him to get a job.”

  
Harry remembered how much shabbier Lupin looked these days and his dislike of Umbridge deepened even further.

  
“What’s she got against werewolves?” said Hermione angrily.

  
“Scared of them, I expect,” said Sirius, smiling at her indignation.

  
“Apparently she loathes part-humans; she campaigned to have merpeople rounded up and tagged last year too. Imagine wasting your time and energy persecuting merpeople when there are little toerags like Kreacher on the loose —”

  
Ron laughed but Hermione looked upset.

  
“Sirius!” she said reproachfully. “Honestly, if you made a bit of an effort with Kreacher I’m sure he’d respond, after all, you are the only member of his family he’s got left, and Professor Dumbledore said —”

  
“So what are Umbridge’s lessons like?” Sirius interrupted. “Is she training you all to kill half-breeds?”

  
“No,” said Harry, ignoring Hermione’s affronted look at being cut off in her defense of Kreacher. “She’s not letting us use magic at all!”

  
“All we do is read the stupid textbook,” said Ron.

  
“Ah, well, that figures,” said Sirius. “Our information from inside the Ministry is that Fudge doesn’t want you trained in combat.”

  
“ _Trained in combat_?” repeated Harry incredulously. “What does he think we’re doing here, forming some sort of wizard army?”

  
“That’s exactly what he thinks you’re doing,” said Sirius, “or rather, that’s exactly what he’s afraid Dumbledore’s doing — forming his own private army, with which he will be able to take on the Ministry of Magic.”

  
There was a pause at this, then Ron said, “That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard, including all the stuff that Luna Lovegood comes out with.”

  
“So we’re being prevented from learning Defense Against the Dark Arts because Fudge is scared we’ll use spells against the Ministry?” said Hermione, looking furious.

  
“Yep,” said Sirius. “Fudge thinks Dumbledore will stop at nothing to seize power. He’s getting more paranoid about Dumbledore by the day. It’s a matter of time before he has Dumbledore arrested on some trumped-up charge.”

  
In that moment Ayame -who was in the sofa until now- wrap her hands around her mate and kissed his cheek. The moment Harry felt his mate, a smile graced his fine features.

  
“Um…Sirius… I’d like you to meet mi girlfriend,” Harry began. “Ayame Kuran, one of this year’s exchange student.”

  
Sirius was baffle for a moment staring at the girl. The animagus could tell that she wasn’t a normal human girl, he felt the power emanating from the being. Still he could see the love that emanated from both teens and felt happy for his godson. Sirius felt like he knew that name from somewhere.

  
“I’m happy that you have gifted me with seen the person you love, Harry,” Sirius said while smiling lovingly to the both. “I’m looking forward to knowing you Ms. Kuran.”

  
Ayame smiled at Sirius and said: “I’m looking forward to knowing you as well, Black-san.”

  
“Well, I’d better get going,” said Sirius. “I’ll write to tell you a time I can make it back into the fire, then, shall I?”

  
There was a tiny _pop_ , and the place where Sirius’s head had been being flickering flame once more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review and or kudo this story so that I can improve my writing! XD


	8. Harry’s First Day of Learning with the Kuran's

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hermione reads the Daily Prophet and Harry begin his training with the Kuran's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's an other chapter for you guys. Hope you like it. ^_^

FORMAT:

“Normal” NARRATION  
“ **Normal** ” JAPANESE  
“ _ **Normal**_ ” FLASHBACK/BOARDWRITING  
“ _Normal_ ” FLASHBACK/NEWSPAPER  
‘ _Normal_ ’ THOUGHTS  
‘ **Normal** ’ PARSELTONGUE

**Chapter 8: Harry’s First Day of Learning with the Kuran's**

  
Harry, Ron, Hermione and Ayame got up early the next morning for breakfast. They had expected to have to comb Hermione’s Daily Prophet carefully next morning to find the article Percy had mentioned in his letter. However, the departing delivery owl had barely cleared the top of the milk jug when Hermione let out a huge gasp and flattened the newspaper to reveal a large photograph of Dolores Umbridge, smiling widely and blinking slowly at them from beneath the headline:

  
_**MINISTRY SEEKS EDUCATIONAL REFORM DOLORES UMBRIDGE APPOINTED FIRST-EVER “HIGH INQUISITOR”** _

  
“‘ _High Inquisitor_ ’?” said Harry darkly, his half-eaten bit of toast slipping from his fingers. “What does that mean?”

  
Hermione read aloud: _“In a surprise move last night the Ministry of Magic passed new legislation giving itself an unprecedented level of control at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry._

  
_“‘The Minister has been growing uneasy about goings-on at Hogwarts for some time,’ said Junior Assistant to the Minister, Percy Weasley. ‘He is now responding to concerns voiced by anxious parents, who feel the school may be moving in a direction they do not approve.’_

  
_“This is not the first time in recent weeks Fudge has used new laws to effect improvements at the Wizarding school. As recently as August 30th Educational Decree Twenty-two was passed, to ensure that, in the event of the current headmaster being unable to provide a candidate for a teaching post, the Ministry should select an appropriate person._

  
_“‘That’s how Dolores Umbridge came to be appointed to the teaching staff at Hogwarts,’ said Weasley last night. ‘Dumbledore couldn’t find anyone, so the Minister put in Umbridge and of course, she’s been an immediate success —’”_

  
“She’s been a WHAT?” said Harry loudly.

  
“Wait, there’s more,” said Hermione grimly. _“‘— an immediate success, totally revolutionizing the teaching of Defense Against the Dark Arts and providing the Minister with on-the-ground feedback about what’s really happening at Hogwarts.’_

  
_“It is this last function that the Ministry has now formalized with the passing of Educational Decree Twenty-three, which creates the new position of ‘Hogwarts High Inquisitor.’_

  
_“‘This is an exciting new phase in the Minister’s plan to get to grips with what some are calling the “falling standards” at Hogwarts,’ said Weasley. ‘The Inquisitor will have powers to inspect her fellow educators and make sure that they are coming up to scratch. Professor Umbridge has been offered this position in addition to her own teaching post, and we are delighted to say that she has accepted.’_

  
_“The Ministry’s new moves have received enthusiastic support from parents of students at Hogwarts._

  
_“‘I feel much easier in my mind now that I know that Dumbledore is being subjected to fair and objective evaluation,’ said Mr. Lucius Malfoy, 41, speaking from his Wiltshire mansion last night. ‘Many of us with our children’s best interests at heart have been concerned about some of Dumbledore’s eccentric decisions in the last few years and will be glad to know that the Ministry is keeping an eye on the situation.’_

  
_“Among those ‘eccentric decisions’ are undoubtedly the controversial staff appointments previously described in this newspaper, which have included the hiring of werewolf Remus Lupin, half giant Rubeus Hagrid, and delusional ex-Auror ‘Mad-Eye’ Moody._

  
_“Rumors abound, of course, that Albus Dumbledore, once Supreme Mugwump of the International Confederation of Wizards and Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, is no longer up to the task of managing the prestigious school of Hogwarts._

  
_“‘I think the appointment of the Inquisitor is a first step toward ensuring that Hogwarts has a headmaster in whom we can all repose confidence,’ said a Ministry insider last night._

  
_“Wizengamot elders Griselda Marchbanks and Tiberius Ogden have resigned in protest at the introduction of the post of Inquisitor to Hogwarts._

  
_“‘Hogwarts is a school, not an outpost of Cornelius Fudge’s office,’ said Madam Marchbanks. ‘This is a further disgusting attempt to discredit Albus Dumbledore.’ (For a full account of Madam Marchbanks’ alleged links to subversive goblin groups, turn to page 17).”_

  
Hermione finished reading and looked across the table at the other two. “So now we know how we ended up with Umbridge! Fudge passed this ‘Educational Decree’ and forced her on us! And now he’s given her the power to inspect other teachers!” Hermione was breathing fast and her eyes were very bright. “I can’t believe this. It’s outrageous. … ”

  
“I know it is,” said Harry. Ayame cuddled into her bond mate, wrapping her arms around his neck while thinking on what Hermione had read. A few minutes later, her parents came to the four kids along with Zero. They all had a really worried expression. Kaname looked to the pureblood pair. Ayame looked at her fellow vampires and nodded taking Harry’s hand.

  
“Harry-kun we need to talk, can you come with us?” asked the pureblood king. “You too, Ayame.”

  
“Of course sir,” said Harry while nodding in agreement. “Lead the way.”

  
~In an empty classroom~

  
Harry had put some charms so that no-body could overhear their conversation nor come bulging in until it was over. The ravenet was looking at his father-in-law in confusion. The brunet king was pacing around thinking how to phrase everything. Yuuki walked to her husband and took his hand in hers squeezing it reassuringly. The silverette stared at the brunet royals letting out a sigh.

  
“Kuran hurry up,” called the ex-human. “Or we’ll be late for class today.”

  
The pureblood king sigh before saying: “Right. Harry, meet us today after class in the seventh floor. It’s you learn how to control your powers before you kill someone dear to you.”

  
“Kaname~!” Yuuki called. Zero give the pureblood the famous Kiryuu glare in response. “That wasn’t very nice to say!”

  
“It’s okay, Mrs. Yuuki,” Harry replied. “I’d rather he tells me the truth of the situation to my face than withhold it, keeping me in the dark, and something bad happens, ending up hurting someone I care for.”

  
Both pureblood males looked at each other and nodded in understanding. Ayame looked at the males slightly smiling in approval. She squeezed his hand slightly while saying: “We better go to class before the toad woman comes looking for us.”

  
~That evening, seventh floor~

  
Kaname, Yuuki, Ayame and Harry were now in the ‘Room of Requirement’. Apparently Zero had come across it two days ago while trying to escape the toad hag after the Weasley twins and himself tried to prank her. The next day the silverette told Ayame and the said girl told her parents. They explained that the room could be made into whatever you need at the moment. In that instant the room looked like a training ground. It had mats on one side of the place for hand to hand combat as well as dummies, book shelves full on elemental magic books and an especial place where you could practice elemental magic. This place had a little pond for water element technics, some dirt for earth, a candle for fire and a fan for air.

  
Harry looked at the place awe stroked. He couldn’t believe that the headmaster had kept this place a secret to everyone in the school. ‘This is amazing’ the ravenet thought. Kaname noted the look on the boy’s face and twitch his lips in a small smile.

  
“I see the room is of your liking,” Kaname stated trying not to smirk at the youngster’s face.

  
Harry nodded and took a serious face after seen Kaname’s expression. The older male smiled and nodded in return and said: “I’ve summoned you here today to start your training, but first, we need to make sure which are your powers.” Kaname signal the special elemental place to Harry. After that he said: “Very well, I need you to listen to me while I explain. There is a requirement for every element. Water, is a healing power and it can be used for combat if you have Air as well; in that case it’ll turn to Ice. Fire, it’s an element that can bring warmth, light and death; it is referred as one of the combat powers alongside Air. Earth can be used for camouflage; alongside Fire, it can become Lava and destroy everything within it’s path. Air is another combat element, it can either help or destroy. This element combined with Water, Earth and Fire can create a Storm with Lightning. It’s very useful in real combat. With element magic you can use it separately, in combination, alongside nature or within your own body for protection.”

  
Kaname stopped his explaining and waited for a little while for the ravenet to process the information before continuing: “from what Zero reported you can manipulate Fire, Water and Air. What I want you to do is very simple, extend your hands in every element and then I’ll explain the verdict of your powers and how to control them.”

  
Harry did as the pureblood commanded and extended his hands to the pond. Half of the water in the pond turned to Ice while the other half came to his other hand, wrapping itself around his abused body and healing the outside scars as well as broken bones. All the Kuran’s were in awe seen this. The raven hair boy went to the candle, still unlit, and lighted it with great ease. Later the boy went to the pond of dirt and extended both his hands again. This time, much like in the pond of water, half of the dirt came to him and help camouflage and the other half turned to lava, melting some of the pond. After it, he went to the fan and to everyone’s amazement the fan not only levitated but also started to conduct electricity and making lightning.

  
Once Harry finished, he went back to the brunets and waited for their verdict. It took a few minutes for all the royals to find their vocal cords. The first to return to composure was, of course, Kaname. The king later said: “Well, you’re a rarity even among us. I’ve never seen anyone that can use all the elements and certainly not to their fullest either. A Level B can use one maybe two elements if it’s for combat, while purebloods can use two to three elements. No pureblood has ever been able to call and use all of them and even the rarest among us can only have two combat and two defensive ones. You on the other hand not only have all the elements but can use it whichever you’d like, be it defensive or offensive. There was only one more with such powers and that was our Kuran ancestor, the very first to be born in our family.”

  
Harry looked and the Kuran king with shock in his emerald eyes. He could not believe that he was the only one after the first Kuran ancestor to gain such powers. Censing her bond mate’s discomfort Ayame went to him, giving a reassuring smile and a peck on the lips. The ravenet rapidly responded to the stimulation. The brunet king watch silently for a minute or two before deciding to clear his throat, successfully separating the teenagers with both teens blushing bright red. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter! Please Review so that my stories improve. Reviews not only improve the writing but motivates me to keep on writing more and helps my creativity. Please I need them! XD


	9. Hogwarts High Inquisitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Professor Umbridge starts her "High Inquisitor" job at Hogwarts. More trouble for Harry.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Easter! This is the Easter Four Chapter Combo of the day! Hope you like it! ^_^

**Chapter 9: Hogwarts High Inquisitor**

After reading the ‘ _Prophet_ ’ in the Great Hall about Umbridge position as “Hogwarts High Inquisitor” all students went to take their classes. None of the fifth year students saw her in their morning classes, however, Harry, Ron and all those that had Divination saw the toad woman enter Professor Trelawney’s class. He was pulling out his dream diary in a seat at the very back of the shadowy Divination room when Ron elbowed him in the ribs and, looking round, he saw Professor Umbridge emerging through the trapdoor in the floor. The class, which had been talking cheerily, fell silent at once. The abrupt fall in the noise level made Professor Trelawney, who had been wafting about handing out Dream Oracles, look round.

  
“Good afternoon, Professor Trelawney,” said Professor Umbridge with her wide smile. “You received my note, I trust? Giving the time and date of your inspection?” Professor Trelawney nodded curtly and, looking very disgruntled, turned her back on Professor Umbridge and continued to give out books. Still smiling, Professor Umbridge grasped the back of the nearest armchair and pulled it to the front of the class so that it was a few inches behind Professor Trelawney’s seat. She then sat down, took her clipboard from her flowery bag, and looked up expectantly, waiting for the class to begin. Professor Trelawney pulled her shawls tight about her with slightly trembling hands and surveyed the class through her hugely magnifying lenses.

  
“We shall be continuing our study of prophetic dreams today,” she said in a brave attempt at her usual mystic tones, though her voice shook slightly. “Divide into pairs, please, and interpret each other’s latest night-time visions with the aid of the Oracle.” She made as though to sweep back to her seat, saw Professor Umbridge sitting right beside it, and immediately veered left toward Parvati and Lavender, who were already deep in discussion about Parvati’s most recent dream. Harry opened his copy of The Dream Oracle, watching Umbridge covertly. She was making notes on her clipboard now. After a few minutes she got to her feet and began to pace the room in Trelawney’s wake, listening to her conversations with students and posing questions here and there. Harry bent his head hurriedly over his book.

  
“Now,” said Umbridge, looking up at Trelawney, “you’ve been in this post how long, exactly?” Professor Trelawney scowled at her, arms crossed and shoulders hunched as though wishing to protect herself as much as possible from the indignity of the inspection. After a slight pause in which she seemed to decide that the question was not so offensive that she could reasonably ignore it, she said in a deeply resentful tone, “Nearly sixteen years.”

  
“Quite a period,” said Professor Umbridge, making a note on her clipboard. “So it was Professor Dumbledore who appointed you?”

  
“That’s right,” said Professor Trelawney shortly. Professor Umbridge made another note. “And you are a great-great-granddaughter of the celebrated Seer Cassandra Trelawney?”

  
“Yes,” said Professor Trelawney, holding her head a little higher. Another note on the clipboard. “But I think — correct me if I am mistaken — that you are the first in your family since Cassandra to be possessed of second sight?”

  
“These things often skip — er — three generations,” said Professor Trelawney.

  
Professor Umbridge’s toad like smile widened. “Of course,” she said sweetly, making yet another note. “Well, if you could just predict something for me, then?” She looked up inquiringly, still smiling. Professor Trelawney had stiffened as though unable to believe her ears.

  
“I don’t understand you,” said Professor Trelawney, clutching convulsively at the shawl around her scrawny neck.

  
“I’d like you to make a prediction for me,” said Professor Umbridge very clearly. Harry and Ron were not the only people watching and listening sneakily from behind their books now; most of the class were staring transfixed at Professor Trelawney as she drew herself up to her full height, her beads and bangles clinking. “The Inner Eye does not See upon command!” she said in scandalized tones.

  
“I see,” said Professor Umbridge softly, making yet another note on her clipboard. “I — but — but … wait!” said Professor Trelawney suddenly, in an attempt at her usual ethereal voice, though the mystical effect was ruined somewhat by the way it was shaking with anger. “I … I think I do see something … something that concerns you. … Why, I sense something … something dark … some grave peril …” Professor Trelawney pointed a shaking finger at Professor Umbridge who continued to smile blandly at her, eyebrows raised. “I am afraid … I am afraid that you are in grave danger!” Professor Trelawney finished dramatically. There was a pause.

  
Professor Umbridge’s eyebrows were still raised. “Right,” she said softly, scribbling on her clipboard once more. “Well, if that’s really the best you can do …” She turned away, leaving Professor Trelawney standing rooted to the spot, her chest heaving. Harry caught Ron’s eye and knew that Ron was thinking exactly the same as he was: They both knew that Professor Trelawney was an old fraud, but on the other hand, they loathed Umbridge so much that they felt very much on Trelawney’s side — until she swooped down on them a few seconds later, that was.

  
“Well?” she said, snapping her long fingers under Harry’s nose, uncharacteristically brisk. “Let me see the start you’ve made on your dream diary, please.” And by the time she had interpreted Harry’s dreams at the top of her voice (all of which, even the ones that involved eating porridge, apparently foretold a gruesome and early death), he was feeling much less sympathetic toward her. All the while, Professor Umbridge stood a few feet away, making notes on that clipboard, and when the bell rang she descended the silver ladder first so that she was waiting for them all when they reached their Defence Against the Dark Arts lesson ten minutes later.

  
She was humming and smiling to herself when they entered the room. Harry and Ron told Hermione, who had been in Arithmancy, exactly what had happened in Divination while they all took out their copies of Defensive Magical Theory, but before Hermione could ask any questions Professor Umbridge had called them all to order and silence fell. “Wands away,” she instructed them all smilingly, and those people who had been hopeful enough to take them out sadly returned them to their bags. “As we finished chapter one last lesson, I would like you all to turn to page nineteen today and commence chapter two, ‘Common Defensive Theories and Their Derivation.’ There will be no need to talk.”

  
Still smiling her wide, self-satisfied smile, she sat down at her desk. The class gave an audible sigh as it turned, as one, to page nineteen. Harry wondered dully whether there were enough chapters in the book to keep them reading through all this year’s lessons and was on the point of checking the contents when he noticed that Hermione had her hand in the air again. Professor Umbridge had noticed too, and what was more, she seemed to have worked out a strategy for just such an eventuality. Instead of trying to pretend she had not noticed Hermione, she got to her feet and walked around the front row of desks until they were face-to-face, then she bent down and whispered, so that the rest of the class could not hear, “What is it this time, Miss Granger?”

  
“I’ve already read chapter two,” said Hermione. “Well then, proceed to chapter three.” “I’ve read that too. I’ve read the whole book.” Professor Umbridge blinked but recovered her poise almost instantly. “Well, then, you should be able to tell me what Slinkhard says about counterjinxes in chapter fifteen.”

  
“He says that counterjinxes are improperly named,” said Hermione promptly. “He says ‘counterjinx’ is just a name people give their jinxes when they want to make them sound more acceptable.” Professor Umbridge raised her eyebrows, and Harry knew she was impressed against her will. “But I disagree,” Hermione continued. Professor Umbridge’s eyebrows rose a little higher and her gaze became distinctly colder. “You disagree?”

  
“Yes, I do,” said Hermione, who, unlike Umbridge, was not whispering, but speaking in a clear, carrying voice that had by now attracted the rest of the class’s attention. “Mr. Slinkhard doesn’t like jinxes, does he? But I think they can be very useful when they’re used defensively.”

  
“Oh, you do, do you?” said Professor Umbridge, forgetting to whisper and straightening up. “Well, I’m afraid it is Mr. Slinkhard’s opinion, and not yours, that matters within this classroom, Miss Granger.”

  
“But —” Hermione began.

  
“That is enough,” said Professor Umbridge. She walked back to the front of the class and stood before them, all the jauntiness she had shown at the beginning of the lesson gone. “Miss Granger, I am going to take five points from Gryffindor House.” There was an outbreak of muttering at this.

  
“What for?” said Harry angrily.

  
“Don’t you get involved!” Hermione whispered urgently to him.

  
“For disrupting my class with pointless interruptions,” said Professor Umbridge smoothly. “I am here to teach you using a Ministry-approved method that does not include inviting students to give their opinions on matters about which they understand very little. Your previous teachers in this subject may have allowed you more license, but as none of them — with the possible exception of Professor Quirrell, who did at least appear to have restricted himself to age-appropriate subjects — would have passed a Ministry inspection —”

  
“Yeah, Quirrell was a great teacher,” said Harry loudly, “there was just that minor drawback of him having Lord Voldemort sticking out of the back of his head.” This pronouncement was followed by one of the loudest silences Harry had ever heard. Then — “I think another week’s detentions would do you some good, Mr. Potter,” said Umbridge sleekly. After classes Harry and the Kuran’s went to the seventh floor to the ‘Room of Requirement’ to begin Harry’s instruction on his powers. In the evening the ravenet teen went for detention with the toad like woman which made him do the same lines as before with the same quill.

  
~Next Day~

  
The very worst part of this second weeks’ worth of detentions was, just as George had predicted, Angelina’s reaction. She cornered him just as he arrived at the Gryffindor table for breakfast on Tuesday and shouted so loudly that Professor McGonagall came sweeping down upon the pair of them from the staff table.

  
“Miss Johnson, how dare you make such a racket in the Great Hall! Five points from Gryffindor!” said Professor McGonagall.

  
“But Professor — he’s gone and landed himself in detention again —” started Angelina.

  
“What’s this, Potter?” said Professor McGonagall sharply, rounding on Harry. “Detention? From whom?”

  
“From Professor Umbridge,” muttered Harry, not meeting Professor McGonagall’s beady, square-framed eyes.

  
“Are you telling me,” she said, lowering her voice so that the group of curious Ravenclaws behind them could not hear, “that after the warning I gave you last Monday you lost your temper in Professor Umbridge’s class again?”

  
“Yes,” Harry muttered, speaking to the floor.

  
“Potter, you must get a grip on yourself! You are heading for serious trouble! Another five points from Gryffindor!” said Professor McGonagall exasperatedly.

  
“But — what? Professor, no!” Harry said, furious at this injustice. “I’m already being punished by her, why do you have to take points as well?”

  
“Because detentions do not appear to have any effect on you whatsoever!” said Professor McGonagall tartly. “No, not another word of complaint, Potter! And as for you, Miss Johnson, you will confine your shouting matches to the Quidditch pitch in future or risk losing the team Captaincy!” She strode back toward the staff table. Angelina gave Harry a look of deepest disgust and stalked away, upon which Harry flung himself onto the bench beside Ron, fuming. “She’s taken points off Gryffindor because I’m having my hand sliced open every night! How is that fair, how?”

  
“I know, mate,” said Ron sympathetically, tipping bacon onto Harry’s plate, “she’s bang out of order.” Hermione, however, merely rustled the pages of her Daily Prophet and said nothing. “You think McGonagall was right, do you?” said Harry angrily to the picture of Cornelius Fudge obscuring Hermione’s face. “I wish she hadn’t taken points from you, but I think she’s right to warn you not to lose your temper with Umbridge,” said Hermione’s voice, while Fudge gesticulated forcefully from the front page, clearly giving some kind of speech.

  
Harry did not speak to Hermione all through Charms, but when they entered Transfiguration he forgot his anger; Professor Umbridge and her clipboard were sitting in a corner and the sight of her drove the memory of breakfast right out of his head. “Excellent,” whispered Ron, as they sat down in their usual seats. “Let’s see Umbridge get what she deserves.” Professor McGonagall marched into the room without giving the slightest indication that she knew Professor Umbridge was there.

  
“That will do,” she said and silence fell immediately. “Mr. Finnigan, kindly come here and hand back the homework — Miss Brown, please take this box of mice — don’t be silly, girl, they won’t hurt you — and hand one to each student —”

  
“Hem, hem,” said Professor Umbridge, employing the same silly little cough she had used to interrupt Dumbledore on the first night of term. Professor McGonagall ignored her. Seamus handed back Harry’s essay; Harry took it without looking at him and saw, to his relief, that he had managed an A.

  
“Right then, everyone, listen closely — Dean Thomas, if you do that to the mouse again I shall put you in detention — most of you have now successfully vanished your snails and even those who were left with a certain amount of shell have the gist of the spell. Today we shall be —”

  
“Hem, hem,” said Professor Umbridge.

  
“Yes?” said Professor McGonagall, turning round, her eyebrows so close together they seemed to form one long, severe line. “I was just wondering, Professor, whether you received my note telling you of the date and time of your inspec —”

  
“Obviously I received it, or I would have asked you what you are doing in my classroom,” said Professor McGonagall, turning her back firmly on Professor Umbridge. Many of the students exchanged looks of glee. “As I was saying, today we shall be practicing the altogether more difficult vanishment of mice. Now, the Vanishing Spell —”

  
“Hem, hem.” Once again Umbridge said interrupting Professor McGonagall.

  
“I wonder,” said Professor McGonagall in cold fury, turning on Professor Umbridge, “how you expect to gain an idea of my usual teaching methods if you continue to interrupt me? You see, I do not generally permit people to talk when I am talking.” Professor Umbridge looked as though she had just been slapped in the face. She did not speak, but straightened the parchment on her clipboard and began scribbling furiously. Looking supremely unconcerned, Professor McGonagall addressed the class once more. “As I was saying, the Vanishing Spell becomes more difficult with the complexity of the animal to be vanished. The snail, as an invertebrate, does not present much of a challenge; the mouse, as a mammal, offers a much greater one. This is not, therefore, magic you can accomplish with your mind on your dinner. So — you know the incantation, let me see what you can do.…”

  
“How she can lecture me about not losing my temper with Umbridge!” Harry said to Ron under his voice, but he was grinning; his anger with Professor McGonagall had quite evaporated. Professor Umbridge did not follow Professor McGonagall around the class as she had followed Professor Trelawney; perhaps she thought that Professor McGonagall would not permit it. She did, however, take many more notes while she sat in her corner, and when Professor McGonagall finally told them all to pack away, rose with a grim expression on her face.

  
“Well, it’s a start,” said Ron, holding up a long, wriggling mouse tail and dropping it back into the box Lavender was passing around. As they filed out of the classroom, Harry saw Professor Umbridge approach the teacher’s desk; he nudged Ron, who nudged Hermione in turn, and the three of them deliberately fell back to eavesdrop.

  
“How long have you been teaching at Hogwarts?” Professor Umbridge asked. “Thirty-nine years this December,” said Professor McGonagall brusquely, snapping her bag shut. Professor Umbridge made a note. “Very well,” she said, “you will receive the results of your inspection in ten days’ time.”

  
“I can hardly wait,” said Professor McGonagall in a coldly indifferent voice, and she strode off toward the door. “Hurry up, you three,” she added, sweeping Harry, Ron, and Hermione before her. Harry could not help giving her a faint smile and could have sworn he received one in return.

  
He had thought that the next time he would see Umbridge would be in his detention that evening, but he was wrong. When they walked down the lawns toward the forest for Care of Magical Creatures, they found her and her clipboard waiting for them beside Professor Grubbly-Plank. “You do not usually take this class, is that correct?” Harry heard her ask as they arrived at the trestle table where the group of captive bowtruckles were scrambling around for wood lice like so many living twigs. “Quite correct,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank, hands behind her back and bouncing on the balls of her feet. “I am a substitute teacher standing in for Professor Hagrid.” Harry exchanged uneasy looks with Ron and Hermione. Malfoy was whispering with Crabbe and Goyle; he would surely love this opportunity to tell tales on Hagrid to a member of the Ministry.

  
“Hmm,” said Professor Umbridge, dropping her voice, though Harry could still hear her quite clearly, “I wonder — the headmaster seems strangely reluctant to give me any information on the matter — can you tell me what is causing Professor Hagrid’s very extended leave of absence?” Harry saw Malfoy look up eagerly. “ ’Fraid I can’t,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank breezily. “Don’t know anything more about it than you do. Got an owl from Dumbledore, would I like a couple of weeks teaching work, accepted — that’s as much as I know. Well … shall I get started then?”

  
“Yes, please do,” said Professor Umbridge, scribbling upon her clipboard.

  
Umbridge took a different tack in this class and wandered among the students, questioning them on magical creatures. Most people were able to answer well and Harry’s spirits lifted somewhat; at least the class was not letting Hagrid down. “Overall,” said Professor Umbridge, returning to Professor Grubbly-Plank’s side after a lengthy interrogation of Dean Thomas, “how do you, as a temporary member of staff — an objective outsider, I suppose you might say — how do you find Hogwarts? Do you feel you receive enough support from the school management?”

  
“Oh, yes, Dumbledore’s excellent,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank heartily. “No, I’m very happy with the way things are run, very happy indeed.” Looking politely incredulous, Umbridge made a tiny note on her clipboard and went on, “And what are you planning to cover with this class this year — assuming, of course, that Professor Hagrid does not return?”

  
“Oh, I’ll take them through the creatures that most often come up in O.W.L.,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank. “Not much left to do — they’ve studied unicorns and nifflers, I thought we’d cover porlocks and kneazles, make sure they can recognize crups and knarls, you know. … ”

  
“Well, you seem to know what you’re doing, at any rate,” said Professor Umbridge, making a very obvious tick on her clipboard. Harry did not like the emphasis she put on “you” and liked it even less when she put her next question to Goyle: “Now, I hear there have been injuries in this class?” Goyle gave a stupid grin. Malfoy hastened to answer the question. “That was me,” he said. “I was slashed by a hippogriff.”

  
“A hippogriff?” said Professor Umbridge, now scribbling frantically. “Only because he was too stupid to listen to what Hagrid told him to do,” said Harry angrily. Both Ron and Hermione groaned. Professor Umbridge turned her head slowly in Harry’s direction. “Another night’s detention, I think,” she said softly. “Well, thank you very much, Professor Grubbly-Plank, I think that’s all I need here. You will be receiving the results of your inspection within ten days.”

  
“Jolly good,” said Professor Grubbly-Plank, and Professor Umbridge set off back across the lawn to the castle.

  
~After Detention~

  
Ron, Hermione, Ayame and Zero were waiting in the common room for Harry to arrive. In this two days of detention Harry had to meditate to gain complete control over his powers. Zero was outstanded when he learned that the teen could wield so much power. Since the ravenet was in detention Kaname had made him keep to meditation for the meanwhile before going to bed. Zero and Ayame were the first to smell the scent of blood coming from the emerald eyed pureblood teen. Ayame’s eyes twitch with contentment while Zero cursed inwardly.

  
“I’d never thought I’ll say this, but, you blood suckers never made me as enrage as that toad woman just made me. Not even that bastard Kuran.” Zero said fuming. “I truly hate that toad face woman!”

  
“Zero-kun, calm down, though I know how you feel right now (for I am feeling the same thing right now) we can’t just go and do whatever we want.” Ayame said. “Harry, love come here so I can treat your wound.” By the time Ayame had finished treating the wound it was already completely healed.

  
“She’s an awful woman,” said Hermione in a small voice. “Awful. You know, I was just saying to Ron when you came in … we’ve got to do something about her.”

  
“I suggested poison,” said Ron grimly. “No … I mean, something about what a dreadful teacher she is, and how we’re not going to learn any defence from her at all,” said Hermione.

  
“Well, what can we do about that?” said Ron, yawning. “ ’S too late, isn’t it? She got the job, she’s here to stay, Fudge’ll make sure of that.”

  
“Well,” said Hermione tentatively. “You know; I was thinking today. …” She shot a slightly nervous look at Harry and then plunged on, “I was thinking that — maybe the time’s come when we should just — just do it ourselves.”

  
“Do what ourselves?” said Harry suspiciously, still floating his hand in the essence of murtlap tentacles. “Well — learn Defence Against the Dark Arts ourselves,” said Hermione. “Come off it,” groaned Ron. “You want us to do extra work? D’you realize Harry and I are behind on homework again and it’s only the second week?”

  
“But this is much more important than homework!” said Hermione. Harry and Ron goggled at her. “I didn’t think there was anything in the universe more important than homework,” said Ron.

  
“Don’t be silly, of course there is!” said Hermione, and Harry saw, with an ominous feeling, that her face was suddenly alight with the kind of fervour that S.P.E.W. usually inspired in her. “It’s about preparing ourselves, like Harry said in Umbridge’s first lesson, for what’s waiting out there. It’s about making sure we really can defend ourselves. If we don’t learn anything for a whole year —”

  
“We can’t do much by ourselves,” said Ron in a defeated voice. “I mean, all right, we can go and look jinxes up in the library and try and practice them, I suppose —”

  
“No, I agree, we’ve gone past the stage where we can just learn things out of books,” said Hermione. “We need a teacher, a proper one, who can show us how to use the spells and correct us if we’re going wrong.”

  
“If you’re talking about Lupin …” Harry began. “No, no, I’m not talking about Lupin,” said Hermione. “He’s too busy with the Order and anyway, the most we could see him is during Hogsmead weekends and that’s not nearly often enough.”

  
“Who, then?” said Harry, frowning at her. Hermione heaved a very deep sigh. “Isn’t it obvious?” she said. “I’m talking about you, Harry.” There was a moment’s silence. A light night breeze rattled the windowpanes behind Ron and the fire guttered. “About me what?” said Harry. “I’m talking about you teaching us Defence Against the Dark Arts.” Harry stared at her. Then he turned to Ron, ready to exchange the exasperated looks they sometimes shared when Hermione elaborated on far-fetched schemes like S.P.E.W. To Harry’s consternation, however, Ron did not look exasperated. He was frowning slightly, apparently thinking. Then he said, “That’s an idea.” “What’s an idea?” said Harry. “You,” said Ron. “Teaching us to do it.”

  
“But …” Harry was grinning now, sure the pair of them were pulling his leg. “But I’m not a teacher, I can’t —”

  
“Harry, you’re the best in the year at Defence Against the Dark Arts,” said Hermione. “Me?” said Harry, now grinning more broadly than ever. “No I’m not, you’ve beaten me in every test —”

  
“Actually, I haven’t,” said Hermione coolly. “You beat me in our third year — the only year we both sat the test and had a teacher who actually knew the subject. But I’m not talking about test results, Harry. Look what you’ve done!”

  
“How d’you mean?” asked Harry.

  
“You know what, I’m not sure I want someone this stupid teaching me,” Ron said to Hermione, smirking slightly. He turned to Harry. “Let’s think,” he said, pulling a face like Goyle concentrating. “Uh … first year — you saved the Stone from You-Know-Who.”

  
“But that was luck,” said Harry, “that wasn’t skill —”

  
“Second year,” Ron interrupted, “you killed the basilisk and destroyed Riddle.”

  
“Yeah, but if Fawkes hadn’t turned up I —”

  
“Third year,” said Ron, louder still, “you fought off about a hundred dementors at once--”

  
“You know that was a fluke, if the Time-Turner hadn’t —”

  
“Last year,” Ron said, almost shouting now, “you fought off You-Know-Who again —”

“Listen to me!” said Harry, almost angrily, because Ron and Hermione were both smirking now. “Just listen to me, all right? It sounds great when you say it like that, but all that stuff was luck — I didn’t know what I was doing half the time, I didn’t plan any of it, I just did whatever I could think of, and I nearly always had help —” Ron and Hermione were still smirking and Harry felt his temper rise; he wasn’t even sure why he was feeling so angry. “Don’t sit there grinning like you know better than I do, I was there, wasn’t I?” he said heatedly. “I know what went on, all right? And I didn’t get through any of that because I was brilliant at Defence Against the Dark Arts, I got through it all because — because help came at the right time, or because I guessed right — but I just blundered through it all, I didn’t have a clue what I was doing — STOP LAUGHING!” As Harry yelled his eyes became slightly red from anger as well as blood loss.

  
“You don’t know what it’s like! You — neither of you — you’ve never had to face him, have you? You think it’s just memorizing a bunch of spells and throwing them at him, like you’re in class or something? The whole time you know there’s nothing between you and dying except your own — your own brain or guts or whatever — like you can think straight when you know you’re about a second from being murdered, or tortured, or watching your friends die — they’ve never taught us that in their classes, what it’s like to deal with things like that — and you two sit there acting like I’m a clever little boy to be standing here, alive, like Diggory was stupid, like he messed up — you just don’t get it, that could just as easily have been me, it would have been if Voldemort hadn’t needed me —”

  
“We weren’t saying anything like that, mate,” said Ron, looking aghast. “We weren’t having a go at Diggory, we didn’t — you’ve got the wrong end of the —” He looked helplessly at Hermione, whose face was stricken. “Harry,” she said timidly, “don’t you see? This … this is exactly why we need you. … We need to know what it’s r-really like … facing him … facing V- Voldemort.” It was the first time she had ever said Voldemort’s name, and it was this, more than anything else, that calmed Harry. “Well … think about it,” said Hermione quietly. “Please?”

  
Harry could not think of anything to say. He was feeling ashamed of his outburst already. He nodded, hardly aware of what he was agreeing to. Hermione stood up. “Well, I’m off to bed,” she said in a voice that was clearly as natural as she could make it. “Erm … ’night.” Ron had gotten to his feet too. “Coming?” he said awkwardly to Harry. “Yeah,” said Harry. “In … in a minute.”

  
Harry turned to his girlfriend and wrapped his arms around her waist. Ron had already gone to bed with Zero behind his heels. Ayame wrapped her arms around her soulmate’s upper back and neck. She had noticed that Harry’s eyes now have become completely blood red. Tilting her head to the side she gave the raven hair teen access to her neck so that he could drink some of her blood. After two mouthfuls of blood Harry lapped at the wound to seal it and kiss the young pureblood brunet on the lips. After that he was suddenly so tired that he was tempted to sink back into his armchair and sleep there, but instead he got to his feet and followed Ayame upstairs. His restless night was punctuated once more by dreams of long corridors and locked doors, and he awoke the next day with his scar prickling again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please Review! I need them desperately! Love you all and till next time! ^_^; XD


	10. Reunion in a Hogsmeade Pub

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First reunion with Harry and Co in the Hugshead pub.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you like the chapter. This is not Beta read so please bear with me for a while. Have a nice weekend. :)

**Chapter 10: Reunion in Hogsmeade Pub**

  
Hermione made no mention of Harry giving Defense Against the Dark Arts lessons for two whole weeks after her original suggestion. Harry’s detentions with Umbridge were finally over (he doubted whether the words now etched on the back of his hand would ever fade entirely); Ron had had four more Quidditch practices and not been shouted at during the last two; and all three of them had managed to vanish their mice in Transfiguration (Hermione had actually progressed to vanishing kittens), before the subject was broached again, on a wild, blustery evening at the end of September, when the three of them were sitting in the library, looking up potion ingredients for Snape.

  
“I was wondering,” Hermione said suddenly, “whether you’d thought any more about Defense Against the Dark Arts, Harry.”

  
“’Course I have,” said Harry grumpily. “Can’t forget it, can we, with that hag teaching us —”

  
“I meant the idea Ron and I had” — Ron cast her an alarmed, threatening kind of look; she frowned at him — “oh, all right, the idea I had, then — about you teaching us.”

  
Harry did not answer at once. He pretended to be perusing a page of Asiatic Anti-Venoms, because he did not want to say what was in his mind. The fact was that he had given the matter a great deal of thought over the past fortnight. Sometimes it seemed an insane idea, just as it had on the night Hermione had proposed it, but at others, he had found himself thinking about the spells that had served him best in his various encounters with Dark creatures and Death Eaters — found himself, in fact, subconsciously planning lessons. …

  
“Well,” he said slowly, when he could not pretend to find Asiatic anti-venoms interesting much longer, “yeah, I — I’ve thought about it a bit.”

  
“And?” said Hermione eagerly.

  
“I dunno,” said Harry, playing for time. He looked up at Ron.

  
“I thought it was a good idea from the start,” said Ron, who seemed keener to join in this conversation now that he was sure that Harry was not going to start shouting again.

  
Harry shifted uncomfortably in his chair. “You did listen to what I said about a load of it being luck, didn’t you?”

  
“Yes, Harry,” said Hermione gently, “but all the same, there’s no point pretending that you’re not good at Defense Against the Dark Arts, because you are. You were the only person last year who could throw off the Imperius Curse completely, you can produce a Patronus, you can do all sorts of stuff that full-grown wizards can’t, Viktor always said —”

  
Ron looked around at her so fast he appeared to crick his neck; rubbing it, he said, “Yeah? What did Vicky say?”

  
“Ho, ho,” said Hermione in a bored voice. “He said Harry knew how to do stuff even he didn’t, and he was in the final year at Durmstrang.”

  
Ron was looking at Hermione suspiciously. “You’re not still in contact with him, are you?”

  
“So what if I am?” said Hermione coolly, though her face was a little pink. “I can have a pen pal if I —”

  
“He didn’t only want to be your pen pal,” said Ron accusingly.

  
Hermione shook her head exasperatedly and, ignoring Ron, who was continuing to watch her, said to Harry, “Well, what do you think? Will you teach us?”

  
“Just you and Ron, yeah?” Harry asks.

  
“Well,” said Hermione, now looking a mite anxious again. “Well … now, don’t fly off the handle again, Harry, please. … But I really think you ought to teach anyone who wants to learn. I mean, we’re talking about defending ourselves against V-Voldemort — oh, don’t be pathetic, Ron — it doesn’t seem fair if we don’t offer the chance to other people.”

  
Harry considered this for a moment, then said, “Yeah, but I doubt anyone except you two would want to be taught by me. I’m a nutter, remember?”

  
“Well, I think you might be surprised how many people would be interested in hearing what you’ve got to say,” said Hermione seriously. “Look,” she leaned toward him; Ron, who was still watching her with a frown on his face, leaned forward to listen too, “you know the first weekend in October’s a Hogsmeade weekend? How would it be if we tell anyone who’s interested to meet us in the village and we can talk it over?”

  
“Why do we have to do it outside school?” said Ron.

  
“Because,” said Hermione, returning to the diagram of the Chinese Chomping Cabbage she was copying, “I don’t think Umbridge would be very happy if she found out what we were up to.”

  
Harry had been looking forward to the weekend trip into Hogsmeade, but there was one thing worrying him. Sirius had maintained a stony silence since he had appeared in the fire at the beginning of September; Harry knew they had made him angry by saying that they did not want him to come — but he still worried from time to time that Sirius might throw caution to the winds and turn up anyway. What were they going to do if the great black dog came bounding up the street toward them in Hogsmeade, perhaps under the nose of Draco Malfoy?

  
“Well, you can’t blame him for wanting to get out and about,” said Ron, when Harry discussed his fears with him and Hermione. “I mean, he’s been on the run for over two years, hasn’t he, and I know that can’t have been a laugh, but at least he was free, wasn’t he? And now he’s just shut up all the time with that lunatic elf.”

  
Hermione scowled at Ron, but otherwise ignored the slight on Kreacher. “The trouble is,” she said to Harry, “until V-Voldemort — oh for heaven’s sake, Ron — comes out into the open, Sirius is going to have to stay hidden, isn’t he? I mean, the stupid Ministry isn’t going to realize Sirius is innocent until they accept that Dumbledore’s been telling the truth about him all along. And once the fools start catching real Death Eaters again it’ll be obvious Sirius isn’t one … I mean, he hasn’t got the Mark, for one thing.”

  
“I don’t reckon he’d be stupid enough to turn up,” said Ron bracingly. “Dumbledore’d go mad if he did and Sirius listens to Dumbledore even if he doesn’t like what he hears.”

  
When Harry continued to look worried, Hermione said, “Listen, Ron and I have been sounding out people who we thought might want to learn some proper Defense Against the Dark Arts, and there are a couple who seem interested. We’ve told them to meet us in Hogsmeade.”

  
“Right,” said Harry vaguely, his mind still on Sirius.

  
“Don’t worry, Harry,” Hermione said quietly. “You’ve got enough on your plate without Sirius too.”

  
The morning of the Hogsmeade visit dawned bright but windy. After breakfast they queued up in front of Filch, who matched their names to the long list of students who had permission from their parents or guardian to visit the village. With a slight pang, Harry remembered that if it hadn’t been for Sirius, he would not have been going at all. Ayame and the other vampires were right by his side talking to one-another in a companionable way.

  
When Harry reached Filch, the caretaker gave a great sniff as though trying to detect a whiff of something from Harry. Then he gave a curt nod that set his jowls aquiver again and Harry walked on, out onto the stone steps and the cold, sunlit day.

  
“Er — why was Filch sniffing you?” asked Ron, as he, Harry, the other vampires and Hermione set off at a brisk pace down the wide drive to the gates.

  
“I suppose he was checking for the smell of Dungbombs,” said Harry with a small laugh. “I forgot to tell you …” And he recounted the story of sending his letter to Sirius and Filch bursting in seconds later, demanding to see the letter. To his slight surprise, Hermione found this story highly interesting, much more, indeed, than he did himself.

  
“He said he was tipped off you were ordering Dungbombs? But who had tipped him off?” asked Takuma Ichijou.

  
“I dunno,” said Harry, shrugging. “Maybe Malfoy, he’d think it was a laugh.”

  
They walked between the tall stone pillars topped with winged boars and turned left onto the road into the village, the wind whipping their hair into their eyes.

  
“Malfoy?” said Hermione, very skeptically. “Well … yes … maybe …” And she remained deep in thought all the way into the outskirts of Hogsmeade.

  
“Where are we going anyway?” Harry asked. “The Three Broomsticks?”

  
“Oh — no,” said Hermione, coming out of her reverie, “no, it’s always packed and really noisy. I’ve told the others to meet us in the Hog’s Head, that other pub, you know the one, it’s not on the main road. I think it’s a bit … you know … dodgy … but students don’t normally go in there, so I don’t think we’ll be overheard and besides we have the vampires here with us as allies.”

  
They walked down the main street past Zonko’s Joke Shop, where they were unsurprised to see Fred, George, and Lee Jordan, past the post office, from which owls issued at regular intervals, and turned up a side street at the top of which stood a small inn. A battered wooden sign hung from a rusty bracket over the door, with a picture upon it of a wild boar’s severed head leaking blood onto the white cloth around it. The sign creaked in the wind as they approached. Hermione and Ron hesitated outside the door.

  
“Well, this is a lovely place,” replied Hanabusa Idou with a frown.

  
“Says you,” retorted Ruka Souen in a sarcastic way. In a second the only thing that you could hear was the two vampires fighting with each other, that is until a very pissed off pure-blood king lashed at them to ‘stop it’ and hurry up inside.

  
“Well, come on,” said Hermione slightly nervously. Harry led the way inside.

  
It was not at all like the Three Broomsticks, whose large bar gave an impression of gleaming warmth and cleanliness. The Hog’s Head bar comprised one small, dingy, and very dirty room that smelled strongly of something that might have been goats. The bay windows were so encrusted with grime that very little daylight could permeate the room, which was lit instead with the stubs of candles sitting on rough wooden tables. The floor seemed at first glance to be earthy, though as Harry stepped onto it he realized that there was stone beneath what seemed to be the accumulated filth of centuries.

  
Harry remembered Hagrid mentioning this pub in his first year: “Yeh get a lot o’ funny folk in the Hog’s Head,” he had said, explaining how he had won a dragons’ egg from a hooded stranger there. At the time Harry had wondered why Hagrid had not found it odd that the stranger kept his face hidden throughout their encounter; now he saw that keeping your face hidden was something of a fashion in the Hog’s Head. There was a man at the bar whose whole head was wrapped in dirty gray bandages, though he was still managing to gulp endless glasses of some smoking, fiery substance through a slit over his mouth. Two figures shrouded in hoods sat at a table in one of the windows; Harry might have thought them dementors if they had not been talking in strong Yorkshire accents; in a shadowy corner beside the fireplace sat a witch with a thick, black veil that fell to her toes. They could just see the tip of her nose because it caused the veil to protrude slightly.

  
“I don’t know about this, Hermione,” Harry muttered, as they crossed to the bar. He was looking particularly at the heavily veiled witch. “Has it occurred to you Umbridge might be under that?”

  
Hermione cast an appraising eye at the veiled figure. “Umbridge is shorter than that woman,” she said quietly. “And anyway, even if Umbridge does come in here there’s nothing she can do to stop us, Harry, because I’ve double- and triple-checked the school rules. We’re not out-of-bounds; I specifically asked Professor Flitwick whether students were allowed to come in the Hog’s Head, and he said yes, but he advised me strongly to bring our own glasses. And I’ve looked up everything I can think of about study groups and homework groups and they’re definitely allowed. I just don’t think it’s a good idea if we parade what we’re doing.”

  
“No,” said Harry dryly, “especially as it’s not exactly a homework group you’re planning, is it?” The barman sidled toward them out of a back room. He was a grumpy-looking old man with a great deal of long gray hair and beard. He was tall and thin and looked vaguely familiar to Harry.

  
“What?” he grunted.

  
“Do you want something, guys?” asked Harry to everyone. All of the vampires just shook their heads ‘no’.

  
“Three butterbeers for us then, please,” said Hermione.

  
The man reached beneath the counter and pulled up three very dusty, very dirty bottles, which he slammed on the bar. “Six Sickles,” he said.

  
“I’ll get them,” said Harry quickly, passing over the silver. The barman’s eyes traveled over Harry, resting for a fraction of a second on his scar. Then he turned away and deposited Harry’s money in an ancient wooden till whose drawer slid open automatically to receive it. Harry, Ron, and Hermione retreated to the farthest table from the bar and sat down, looking around, while the man in the dirty gray bandages rapped the counter with his knuckles and received another smoking drink from the barman.

  
“You know what?” Ron murmured, looking over at the bar with enthusiasm. “We could order anything we liked in here, I bet that bloke would sell us anything, he wouldn’t care. I’ve always wanted to try firewhisky —”

  
“You — are — a — prefect,” snarled Hermione.

  
“Oh,” said Ron, the smile fading from his face. “Yeah …”

  
“So who did you say is supposed to be meeting us?” Harry asked, wrenching open the rusty top of his butterbeer and taking a swig.

  
“Just a couple of people,” Hermione repeated, checking her watch and then looking anxiously toward the door. “I told them to be here about now and I’m sure they all know where it is — oh look, this might be them now —”

  
The door of the pub had opened. A thick band of dusty sunlight split the room in two for a moment and then vanished, blocked by the incoming rush of a crowd of people. First came Neville with Dean and Lavender, who were closely followed by Parvati and Padma Patil with Cho and one of her usually giggling girlfriends, then (on her own and looking so dreamy that she might have walked in by accident) Luna Lovegood; then Katie Bell, Alicia Spinnet, and Angelina Johnson, Colin and Dennis Creevey, Ernie Macmillan, Justin Finch-Fletchley, Hannah Abbott, and a Hufflepuff girl with a long plait down her back whose name Harry did not know; three Ravenclaw boys he was pretty sure were called Anthony Goldstein, Michael Corner, and Terry Boot; Ginny, followed by a tall skinny blond boy with an upturned nose whom Harry recognized vaguely as being a member of the Hufflepuff Quidditch team, and bringing up the rear, Fred and George Weasley with their friend Lee Jordan, all three of whom were carrying large paper bags crammed with Zonko’s merchandise.

  
“A couple of people?” said Harry hoarsely to Hermione. “A couple of people?”

  
“Yes, well, the idea seemed quite popular,” said Hermione happily. “Ron, do you want to pull up some more chairs?”

  
The barman had frozen in the act of wiping out a glass with a rag so filthy it looked as though it had never been washed. Possibly he had never seen his pub so full.

  
“Hi,” said Fred, reaching the bar first and counting his companions quickly. “Could we have … twenty-five butterbeers, please?”

  
The barman glared at him for a moment, then, throwing down his rag irritably as though he had been interrupted in something very important, he started passing up dusty butterbeers from under the bar.

  
“Cheers,” said Fred, handing them out. “Cough up, everyone, I haven’t got enough gold for all of these. …”

  
Harry watched numbly as the large chattering group took their beers from Fred and rummaged in their robes to find coins. He could not imagine what all these people had turned up for until the horrible thought occurred to him that they might be expecting some kind of speech, at which he rounded on Hermione. “What have you been telling people?” he said in a low voice. “What are they expecting?”

  
“I’ve told you, they just want to hear what you’ve got to say,” said Hermione soothingly; but Harry continued to look at her so furiously that she added quickly, “You don’t have to do anything yet, I’ll speak to them first.”

  
“Hi, Harry,” said Neville, beaming and taking a seat opposite Harry. Harry tried to smile back, but did not speak; his mouth was exceptionally dry. Cho had just smiled at him and sat down on Ron’s right. Her friend, who had curly reddish-blonde hair, did not smile, but gave Harry a thoroughly mistrustful look that told Harry plainly that, given her way, she would not be here at all. In twos and threes, the new arrivals settled around the vampires, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, some looking rather excited, others curious, Luna Lovegood gazing dreamily into space. When everybody had pulled up a chair, the chatter died out. Every eye was upon Harry.

  
“Er,” said Hermione, her voice slightly higher than usual out of nerves. “Well — er — hi.” The group focused its attention on her instead, though eyes continued to dart back regularly to Harry. “Well … erm … well, you know why you’re here. Erm … well, Harry here had the idea — I mean” — Harry had thrown her a sharp look — “I had the idea — that it might be good if people who wanted to study Defense Against the Dark Arts — and I mean, really study it, you know, not the rubbish that Umbridge is doing with us” — (Hermione’s voice became suddenly much stronger and more confident) — “because nobody could call that Defense Against the Dark Arts” — “Hear, hear,” said Anthony Goldstein, and Hermione looked heartened — “well, I thought it would be good if we, well, took matters into our own hands.” She paused, looked sideways at Harry, and went on, “And by that I mean learning how to defend ourselves properly, not just theory but the real spells —”

  
“You want to pass your Defense Against the Dark Arts O.W.L. too though, I bet?” said Michael Corner.

  
“Of course I do,” said Hermione at once. “But I want more than that, I want to be properly trained in Defense because … because …” She took a great breath and finished, “Because Lord Voldemort’s back.” The reaction was immediate and predictable. Cho’s friend shrieked and slopped butterbeer down herself, Terry Boot gave a kind of involuntary twitch, Padma Patil shuddered, and Neville gave an odd yelp that he managed to turn into a cough. All of them, however, looked fixedly, even eagerly, at Harry. “Well … that’s the plan anyway,” said Hermione. “If you want to join us, we need to decide how we’re going to —”

  
“Where’s the proof You-Know-Who’s back?” said the blond Hufflepuff player in a rather aggressive voice.

  
“Well, Dumbledore believes it —” Hermione began.

  
“You mean, Dumbledore believes him,” said the blond boy, nodding at Harry. Ayame makes an involuntary hissing sound at the blond but stops after seeing her lover motion for her to stop.

  
“Who are you?” said Ron rather rudely.

  
“Zacharias Smith,” said the boy, “and I think we’ve got the right to know exactly what makes him say You-Know-Who’s back.”

  
“Look,” said Hermione, intervening swiftly, “that’s really not what this meeting was supposed to be about —”

  
“It’s okay, Hermione, Ron, Ayame,” said Harry. It had just dawned upon him why there were so many people there. He felt that Hermione should have seen this coming. Some of these people — maybe even most of them — had turned up in the hope of hearing Harry’s story firsthand.

  
“What makes me say You-Know-Who’s back?” he asked, looking Zacharias straight in the face. “I saw him. But Dumbledore told the whole school what happened last year, and if you didn’t believe him, you don’t believe me, and I’m not wasting an afternoon trying to convince anyone.”

  
The whole group seemed to have held its breath while Harry spoke. Harry had the impression that even the barman was listening in. He was wiping the same glass with the filthy rag; it was becoming steadily dirtier.

  
Zacharias said dismissively, “All Dumbledore told us last year was that Cedric Diggory got killed by You-Know-Who and that you brought Diggory’s body back to Hogwarts. He didn’t give us details, he didn’t tell us exactly how Diggory got murdered, I think we’d all like to know —”

  
“If you’ve come to hear exactly what it looks like when Voldemort murders someone I can’t help you,” Harry said. His temper, always so close to the surface these days, was rising again. He did not take his eyes from Zacharias Smith’s aggressive face, determined not to look at Cho. “I don’t want to talk about Cedric Diggory, all right? So if that’s what you’re here for, you might as well clear out.” Harry’s eyes were beginning to take a tint of red in them by the time he finished, his fangs lengthening as well in his outburst. The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as well.

  
He cast an angry look in Hermione’s direction. This was, he felt, all her fault; she had decided to display him like some sort of freak and of course they had all turned up to see just how wild his story was. … But none of them left their seats, not even Zacharias Smith, though he continued to gaze intently at Harry.

  
“So,” said Hermione, her voice very high-pitched again. “So … like I was saying … if you want to learn some defense, then we need to work out how we’re going to do it, how often we’re going to meet, and where we’re going to —”

  
“Is it true,” interrupted the girl with the long plait down her back, looking at Harry, “that you can produce a Patronus?” There was a murmur of interest around the group at this.

  
“Yeah,” said Harry slightly defensively.

  
“A corporeal Patronus?” The phrase stirred something in Harry’s memory.

  
“Er — you don’t know Madam Bones, do you?” he asked. The girl smiled.

“She’s my auntie,” she said. “I’m Susan Bones. She told me about your hearing. So — is it really true? You make a stag Patronus?”

  
“Yes,” said Harry.

  
“Blimey, Harry!” said Lee, looking deeply impressed. “I never knew that!”

  
“Mum told Ron not to spread it around,” said Fred, grinning at Harry. “She said you got enough attention as it was.”

  
“She’s not wrong,” mumbled Harry and a couple of people laughed. The veiled witch sitting alone shifted very slightly in her seat.

  
“And did you kill a basilisk with that sword in Dumbledore’s office?” demanded Terry Boot. “That’s what one of the portraits on the wall told me when I was in ‘there’ last year. …”

  
“Er — yeah, I did, yeah,” said Harry.

  
Justin Finch-Fletchley whistled, the Creevey brothers exchanged awestruck looks, and Lavender Brown said “wow” softly. Harry was feeling slightly hot around the collar now; he was determinedly looking anywhere but at the other vampires especially, Ayame, that looked at him in awe.

  
“And in our first year,” said Neville to the group at large, “he saved that Sorcerous Stone —”

  
“Sorcerer’s,” hissed Hermione.

  
“Yes, that, from You-Know-Who,” finished Neville. Hannah Abbott’s eyes were as round as Galleons.

  
“And that’s not to mention,” said Cho (Harry’s eyes snapped onto her, she was looking at him, smiling), “all the tasks he had to get through in the Triwizard Tournament last year — getting past dragons and merpeople and acromantulas and things. …”

  
There was a murmur of impressed agreement around the table. Harry’s insides were squirming. He was trying to arrange his face so that he did not look too pleased with himself.

  
“Look,” he said and everyone fell silent at once, “I … I don’t want to sound like I’m trying to be modest or anything, but … I had a lot of help with all that stuff. …”

  
“Not with the dragon, you didn’t,” said Michael Corner at once. “That was a seriously cool bit of flying. …”

  
“Yeah, well —” said Harry, feeling it would be churlish to disagree.

  
“And nobody helped you get rid of those dementors this summer,” said Susan Bones.

  
“No,” said Harry, “no, okay, I know I did bits of it without help, but the point I’m trying to make is —”

  
“Are you trying to weasel out of showing us any of this stuff?” said Zacharias Smith.

  
“Here’s an idea,” said Ron loudly, before Harry could speak, “why don’t you shut your mouth?”

  
Perhaps the word “weasel” had affected Ron particularly strongly; in any case, he was now looking at Zacharias as though he would like nothing better than to thump him. Zacharias flushed. All the while the vampires have been eyeing the interaction between the others without saying anything. They were certainly in awe with Harry’s powers from before his awakening for now all of the vampires knew that the teenage boy was a pureblood descendant.

  
“Well, we’ve all turned up to learn from him, and now he’s telling us he can’t really do any of it,” he said.

  
“That’s not what he said,” snarled Fred Weasley.

  
“Would you like us to clean out your ears for you?” inquired George, pulling a long and lethal-looking metal instrument from inside one of the Zonko’s bags.

  
“Or any part of your body, really, we’re not fussy where we stick this,” said Fred.

  
“Yes, well,” said Hermione hastily, “moving on … the point is, are we agreed we want to take lessons from Harry?” There was a murmur of general agreement. Zacharias folded his arms and said nothing, though perhaps this was because he was too busy keeping an eye on the instrument in George’s hand. “Right,” said Hermione, looking relieved that something had at last been settled. “Well, then, the next question is how often we do it. I really don’t think there’s any point in meeting less than once a week —”

  
“Hang on,” said Angelina, “we need to make sure this doesn’t clash with our Quidditch practice.”

  
“No,” said Cho, “nor with ours.”

  
“Nor ours,” added Zacharias Smith.

  
“I’m sure we can find a night that suits everyone,” said Hermione, slightly impatiently, “but you know, this is rather important, we’re talking about learning to defend ourselves against V-Voldemort’s Death Eaters —”

  
“Well said!” barked Ernie Macmillan, whom Harry had been expecting to speak long before this. “Personally I think this is really important, possibly more important than anything else we’ll do this year, even with our O.W.L.s coming up!” He looked around impressively, as though waiting for people to cry, “Surely not!” When nobody spoke, he went on, “I, personally, am at a loss to see why the Ministry has foisted such a useless teacher upon us at this critical period. Obviously they are in denial about the return of You-Know-Who, but to give us a teacher who is trying to actively prevent us from using defensive spells —”

  
“We think the reason Umbridge doesn’t want us trained in Defense Against the Dark Arts,” said Hermione, “is that she’s got some … some mad idea that Dumbledore could use the students in the school as a kind of private army. She thinks he’d mobilize us against the Ministry.”

  
Nearly everybody looked stunned at this news; everybody except Luna Lovegood, who piped up, “Well, that makes sense. After all, Cornelius Fudge has got his own private army.”

  
“What?” said Harry, completely thrown by this unexpected piece of information.

  
“Yes, he’s got an army of heliopaths,” said Luna solemnly.

  
“No, he hasn’t,” snapped Hermione.

  
“Yes, he has,” said Luna.

  
“What are heliopaths?” asked Neville, looking blank.

  
“They’re spirits of fire,” said Luna, her protuberant eyes widening so that she looked madder than ever. “Great tall flaming creatures that gallop across the ground burning everything in front of —”

  
“They don’t exist, Neville,” said Hermione tartly.

  
“Oh, I beg to differ,” said Hanabusa Idou. “They do exist.”

  
“See, I’m telling you the truth,” said Luna angrily.

  
“I’m sorry, but where’s the proof of that?” snapped Hermione.

  
“There are plenty of eyewitness accounts, just because you’re so narrow-minded you need to have everything shoved under your nose before you —” Luna tried again.

  
“Hem, hem,” said Ginny in such a good imitation of Professor Umbridge that several people looked around in alarm and then laughed. “Weren’t we trying to decide how often we’re going to meet and get Defense lessons?”

  
“Yes,” said Hermione at once, “yes, we were, you’re right. …”

  
“Well, once a week sounds cool,” said Lee Jordan.

  
“As long as —” began Angelina.

  
“Yes, yes, we know about the Quidditch,” said Hermione in a tense voice. “Well, the other thing to decide is where we’re going to meet. …”

  
This was rather more difficult; the whole group fell silent. “Library?” suggested Katie Bell after a few moments.

  
“I can’t see Madam Pince being too chuffed with us doing jinxes in the library,” said Harry.

  
“Maybe an unused classroom?” said Dean.

  
“Yeah,” said Ron, “McGonagall might let us have hers, she did when Harry was practicing for the Triwizard. …” But Harry was pretty certain that McGonagall would not be so accommodating this time. For all that Hermione had said about study and homework groups being allowed, he had the distinct feeling this one might be considered a lot more rebellious. Harry looks at the other vampires for a brief second asking them to not mention the ROR to them yet and that he needed to talk to them later on alone.

  
“Right, well, we’ll try to find somewhere,” said Hermione. “We’ll send a message round to everybody when we’ve got a time and a place for the first meeting.” She rummaged in her bag and produced parchment and a quill, then hesitated, rather as though she was steeling herself to say something. “I-I think everybody should write their name down, just so we know who was here. But I also think,” she took a deep breath, “that we all ought to agree not to shout about what we’re doing. So if you sign, you’re agreeing not to tell Umbridge — or anybody else — what we’re up to.” Fred reached out for the parchment and cheerfully put down his signature, but Harry noticed at once that several people looked less than happy at the prospect of putting their names on the list.

“Er …” said Zacharias slowly, not taking the parchment that George was trying to pass him. “Well … I’m sure Ernie will tell me when the meeting is.” But Ernie was looking rather hesitant about signing too. Hermione raised her eyebrows at him.

  
“I — well, we are prefects,” Ernie burst out. “And if this list was found … well, I mean to say … you said yourself, if Umbridge finds out …”

  
“You just said this group was the most important thing you’d do this year,” Harry reminded him.

  
“I — yes,” said Ernie, “yes, I do believe that, it’s just …”

  
“Ernie, do you really think I’d leave that list lying around?” said Hermione testily.

  
“No. No, of course not,” said Ernie, looking slightly less anxious. “I — yes, of course I’ll sign.” Nobody raised objections after Ernie, though Harry saw Cho’s friend give her a rather reproachful look before adding her name. When the last person — Zacharias — had signed, Hermione took the parchment back and slipped it carefully into her bag. There was an odd feeling in the group now. It was as though they had just signed some kind of contract.

  
“Well, time’s ticking on,” said Fred briskly, getting to his feet. “George, Lee, and I have got items of a sensitive nature to purchase, we’ll be seeing you all later.” In twos and threes, the rest of the group took their leave too. Cho made rather a business of fastening the catch on her bag before leaving, her long dark curtain of hair swinging forward to hide her face, but her friend stood beside her, arms folded, clicking her tongue, so that Cho had little choice but to leave with her. As her friend ushered her through the door, Cho looked back and waved at Harry.

  
“Well, I think that went quite well,” said Hermione happily, as the vampires, she, Harry, and Ron walked out of the Hog’s Head into the bright sunlight a few moments later, Harry and Ron still clutching their bottles of butterbeer.

  
“That Zacharias bloke’s a wart,” said Ron, who was glowering after the figure of Smith just discernible in the distance.

  
“I don’t like him much either,” admitted Hermione, “but he overheard me talking to Ernie and Hannah at the Hufflepuff table and he seemed really interested in coming, so what could I say? But the more people the better really — I mean, Michael Corner and his friends wouldn’t have come if he hadn’t been going out with Ginny —” Ron, who had been draining the last few drops from his butterbeer bottle, gagged and sprayed butterbeer down his front.

  
“He’s WHAT?” said Ron, outraged, his ears now resembling curls of raw beef. “She’s going out with — my sister’s going — what d’you mean, Michael Corner?”

  
“Well, that’s why he and his friends came, I think — well, they’re obviously interested in learning defense, but if Ginny hadn’t told Michael what was going on —”

  
“When did this — when did she —?”

  
“They met at the Yule Ball and they got together at the end of last year,” said Hermione composedly. They had turned into the High Street and she paused outside Scrivenshaft’s Quill Shop, where there was a handsome display of pheasant-feather quills in the window. “Hmm … I could do with a new quill.”

  
She turned into the shop. Harry, Ron and the others followed her.

  
“Which one was Michael Corner?” Ron demanded furiously.

  
“The dark one,” said Hermione.

  
“I didn’t like him,” said Ron at once.

  
“Big surprise,” said Hermione under her breath.

  
“But,” said Ron, following Hermione along a row of quills in copper pots, “I thought Ginny fancied Harry!”

  
Hermione looked at him rather pityingly and shook her head. “Ginny used to fancy Harry, but she gave up on him months ago. Not that she doesn’t like you, of course,” she added kindly to Harry while she examined a long black-and-gold quill.

  
Harry sighs in frustrated resignation. He knew that things like this would only happen to him. Too bad for Ginny, he was already committed to his mate, who he will never live behind. After all he was a pureblood vampire now and she was but a mortal bound to die in the end while he is an immortal being. He felt for Ron though, since he would never be a part of their family (by marrying his sister) in the end. He gave Ron a pitying look. Harry, did not find this subject quite as interesting as Ron, who was positively quivering with indignation, but it did bring something home to him that until now he had not really registered.

  
“So that’s why she talks now?” he asked Hermione. “She never used to talk in front of me.”

  
“Exactly,” said Hermione. “Yes, I think I’ll have this one. …” She went up to the counter and handed over fifteen Sickles and two Knuts, Ron still breathing down her neck.

  
“Ron,” she said severely as she turned and trod on his feet, “this is exactly why Ginny hasn’t told you she’s seeing Michael, she knew you’d take it badly. So don’t harp on about it, for heaven’s sake.”

  
“What d’you mean, who’s taking anything badly? I’m not going to harp on about anything …”

  
Ron continued to chunter under his breath all the way down the street. Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry and then said in an undertone, while Ron was muttering imprecations about Michael Corner, “And talking about Michael and Ginny … what about Ayame and you?”

  
“What d’you mean?” said Harry quickly. It was as though boiling water was rising rapidly inside him; a burning sensation that was causing his face too smart in the cold — had he been that obvious?

  
“Well,” said Hermione, smiling slightly, “she just couldn’t keep her eyes off you, could she?” Harry had never before appreciated just how beautiful the village of Hogsmeade was. Ayame could not help but find, the village of Hogsmeade, more beautiful than anything else in that precise moment.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please review if you like the story so that I can improve my writing. Xb It's really frustrating not knowing what you think of my style and if I'm making to many mistakes, please tell me (just not in a way that hurts my feelings though). Thanks for everyone who has given me kudos thus far. *Hugs and kisses for them*


	11. Flashbacks and More Training in the Room of Requirement

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Flashbacks before chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you like this chapter and sorry that chapter 10 was so unoriginal but I needed it that way for the story to continue. This one was supposed to be part of chapter 10 but I cut it in two. This chapter carries a new twist in the story.

**Chapter 11: Flashbacks and More Training in the Room of Requirement**

  
Harry had been going to the Room of Requirement for his weekly training. Every week a new member of Kaname Kuran’s cycle would train him in one of his powers. Today was no different. The raven hair boy remembered the first day that his true training began like it happened only a few hours ago.

  
~2 weeks before the visit to Hogsmeade~

  
_Harry has been having a very bad day. His hand was a mess thanks to the repeated detentions with the toad woman, who only liked to torment him with making him do lines with blood quills. In his hand was now a very distinctive ‘I must not tell lies’ scar in it. Every time he has to go to detention he would end up with the ugly urge to rip that woman’s head off. Make a bloody mess out of her. The Kuran’s have been giving him some time to sort things out (mainly homework) so that he doesn’t end badly in his classes. They would always help him with his studies if they could._

  
_Today was the last day of detention with Umbridge and he was feeling the bloodlust really badly. He knew that during the day he had to coup with the blood tablets that Kiryuu and Ayame gave him but today was not a very good day. He needed his mate’s blood no matter what. His eyes were beginning to tint red in his otherwise emerald eyes. His throat burn every time he tried to take any other sustenance that was not Ayame’s blood. He knew, that if he had to go to that toad tonight for detention, she most likely give him the blood quill again and that would only make things worse for everyone._

  
_Ayame that evening took Harry through a door and let him drink his fill. Unfortunately for them the other level B vampires were having a little meeting in that same room and saw the exchange between the two lovers. The only one to not panic was Zero, who already knew about what was going on. Hanabusa, been the genius that he was, had figure it out in two seconds as well as Takuma, though he took a little bit more time to figure out than the other blond. By the time that Harry came to his complete senses, Ruka, was at the verge of murder. Shiki and Rima didn’t even care very much, after all, it was their love life. Kain was attempting to get Ruka in control for he knew that the aristocrat woman loved the one that was been bitten like a daughter as well. Aidou, Ichijou and Seiren were just watching from the sideline but were feeling very upset for not been informed sooner._

  
_The raven hair boy had a very big blush on his cheeks after he became aware of the others, very self-conscious. He didn’t know how to make things better for his mate. He knew deep down that he had angered all the level B vampires in the room for biting a pureblood princess. Too bad for them he was also a pureblood prince and the princess mate but he still felt bad about it never-the-less. Kaname and Yuuki had just walked into the abandon classroom and saw their son-in-law getting his fill of blood for the week’s loss thanks to the pink toad._

  
_“Kaname-sama, I’m so sorry –” started Ruka. Kaname lifts his hands in a dismissal._

  
_“This boy here is my daughter’s mate, Ruka,” Kaname says. “He’s another pureblood vampire and you are to show him respect for he is my sisters’ twin, Lilly’s, son. Understood?!”_

  
_“Yes, Kaname-sama,” they all say as one._

  
_“Now to what I was going to,” started Kaname. “Tomorrow I want you all at the seventh floor in the Room of Requirement. We’ll meet after diner. This teenager will need all the help he can get to control his powers.”_

  
_“Hai, Kaname-sama!” they all reply again_ _._

  
_~The next night at the Room of Requirement~_

  
_All of the vampires have gathered on the seventh floor in the room of requirement. They were really interested in what the room was and for what it was made for. They couldn’t wait to see how powerful was their new prince. They just couldn’t help but be intrigued. They never expected Yuuki-sama to have a twin sister! Kaname decided to make the place look like it did the first time (with the pond, the soil, and the other items that he used fist to determine what was the boy’s affinity) and added some other training gadgets like mats._

  
_“I see we’re all here and ready,” said Kaname in a monotone voice. “Please, Harry, demonstrate what you’re made off to this incredulous bunch. You already know how to tap onto your powers, your only need would be controlling them and them not controlling you.”_

  
_Harry did as he was told and did the demonstration with every one of the elements in front of him. All of the others including Zero looked at the teenager in awe and something akin to fear. Kaname had been helping him thus far with manipulating darkness and wind. Though he was good at manipulating both elements, the ravenet had not yet mastered neither darkness nor wind. The male pureblood felt that it was time to turn for the others to help. Today he had asked Takuma for help. The blond, green eyed noble had the power of light. That night Harry trained to control his power of light._

_~A week before Hogsmeade (ROR)~_

  
_Kaname had made it clear that today was Rima’s turn to help Harry with his lightning abilities. Rima was not so fond of the idea of her been next. With each section, the teenage pureblood had they could feel his powers growing and maturing more. By now the pureblood kid had mastered wind and darkness and was in the process of mastering his powers of light. Now by mixing lightning with light the boy was becoming more and more powerful by the week and by the end of the year a fearsome and worthy opponent. The blond aristocrat woman was ruthless that day._

  
_“Come on, newbie,” said Rima in a monotone. “Lightning manipulation is more difficult than the others. If you master this out the others will not be that difficult to master.”_

  
_Kaname chuckled. The blond girl was not the type to talk and express to much but when it came to things like this she was fearless as well as ruthless. By the end of that day, the blond noble girl was panting and in need of blood. Kaname had made a trap door so that all those that needed to feed were able to without the others hindering._

  
~Back to present~

  
Today was the turn of Hanabusa Idou, the ice wilder, blond vampire. He could not wait for the blond to help him master his water/ice element. Idou-kun had become like family to him in the last few weeks after that accident in the abandoned classroom. The aristocrat had been helping him with his essays from that day on. His way of helping with his classes made it easy for him to understand more quickly than studying with ‘Mione.

  
When he entered the others onto the Room of Requirement, the blue eyed blond was already there. He had turned the training part more for water/ice training; though he left the other training areas untouched. Harry was received on the training ground with a long lecture on Hanabusa’s part before starting. The blond aristocrat explained everything on how to manipulate water/ice element to the ‘T’.

  
“Do you have any questions?” Idou asked Harry. Harry shook his head ‘no’. “Well, let’s start then.” Hanabusa said with a smirk.

  
It took Harry an hour to get how to manipulate the water and another to do the same to the ice. The last hour was made reviewing his other already practiced abilities with Kaname, Takuma and Rima. In that hour he found that he had already mastered both light and lighting abilities which made the others feel proud of the boy. They never told him of their praise for they knew that the boy didn’t like that kind of thing so they only patted his shoulders and said “good job today”.

  
At the end of their three hours training everyone decided to do other things like reading for the Ravenclaws and Hufflepuff. Harry took the opportunity and went to the royal pair to ask a question that been bothering him for a long while. Every time that he is attacked by dementors it was always the same and he could not help but hope that maybe he was right in some way.

  
“Uncle Kaname, Aunt Yuuki,” Harry starts. Both purebloods look at him with a tender smile. “Can I ask you something?”

  
“Of course, Harry,” says Kaname. “What do you want to know?”

  
“It’s something that has been bugging me for a while,” replied Harry. “Every time that dementors attack me, I end up hearing a woman screaming in my head. I know that voice is my mother’s and I was wondering if a pureblood vampire such as us can actually die from such a curse as the killing curse?”

  
“That’s an interesting and valid question, Harry,” replies Kaname. “The answer to that question is no, there’s no way we can be killed by a killing curse. We are the only creature in existence that is next to impossible to kill been by humans or wizards. You can ask Zero and Yuuki about it. They had to gang up in order to kill Yuri’s and Haruka’s older brother after coming back to life to devour Yuuki’s pure blood. If it wasn’t for Zero helping Yuuki that madman would have consumed both of us and would have gone hunting for the last Kuran blood mainly you and your mother. The only thing this curse could do is only weaken us and make us comatose.”

  
“I remember my mother scream the moment the curse hit her and from what I’ve been able to read the only curse that makes you scream is the cruciatus. The killing curse is supposed to be that a killing curse with no pain what so ever.” Harry said.

  
“Can it be that my sister Lilly and your father did not die that night but were rendered in a coma all this time?” Yuuki asked.

  
Kaname thought for a moment that question before saying, “it must be it. There’s no way that course could kill them, they were both purebloods, and they had both awakened their blood by that time. Who did the Dark Lord Voldemort get to first?”

  
“My father,” said Harry. “My mother took me to my cot and shot the door only for it to blow to reveal Voldemort at the door. She had put me down just in time for the explosion. She tried reasoning with him to not try to kill me but he did not listen to her. He did ask her to step aside three times but she didn’t do it.”

  
“I see,” said Kaname. “So he used the cruciatus on her to move her and then he use the killing curse directing it to you. Since you were but a babe you as defenseless as a normal human babe so she took it for you and thus rebounding to Voldemort killing him instead and you with a scar.”

  
Ayame came to them after finishing a spar with Zero and sat on her lover’s lap wrapping her arms around Harry’s neck. She started to nozzle at his neck. Harry knowing what she wanted tilted his head a little and let her play with his neck for a while. Ayame hummed and licked her mate’s throat for a moment before biting and taking a mouthful of blood. Harry wrapped his arms around Ayame’s delicate waist and pulled her more to him. After that Kaname dismissed everyone to their common rooms to rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked this chapter. I'll be on a hiatus until may because of the University. I need to study for the finals and my parents are bitching about me not making time for them. Don't forget to live some comment on the story so that I can improve it. ^_^ Thanks for all those who have leaved kudos on the story. XD

**Author's Note:**

> Please R&R!


End file.
